By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After missing three straight games of the NBA Regular Season due to a left rib sprain, Rudy Gobert was cleared for action on Friday. Lasting 37 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Target Center, he put up nine points, 15 rebounds, two blocks, and one assist.
“You got to embrace the pain sometimes. Sometimes the pain of watching hurts more than the pain of the injury itself,” compared the French center after helping his side bounce back into the win column and improve the W-L tally to 48-22, “It is all about playing through that. As long as I can move, able to impact the game, I am going to be out there.”
Gobert, 31, emerged among the most influential players for the Wolves in an impressive 2023-24 campaign. The team coached by Chris Finch sits third in the Western Conference table, one game behind the Denver Nuggets and 1.5 games behind the leading Oklahoma City Thunder. A distance of 3.5 games from the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers makes glimpses focus to the top of the standings.
“Our level of urgency was there since day one in training camp. I think our maturity and level of experience is a lot better now,” described the three-time All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Moving into the upcoming installment of NBA Sundays, the Timberwolves host the Golden State Warriors. Wrapping up a four-game homestand on Wednesday, the Detroit Pistons will visit the team based in Minneapolis.