During the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks, Rudy Gobert was close to a serious situation when he was almost hit by falling arena equipment from the Target Center.
Rudy Gobert Avoided Major Hit from Arena Equipment
The event happened at the end of the first quarter of the Timberwolves’ 100-92 win over the Hawks. Both Gobert and Mouhamed Gueye were walking to their respective benches when what appeared to be a horn from the arena Jumbotron came crashing down to the court. Gueye didn’t seem to notice the falling equipment, but Gobert jumped and was surprised. His teammate Naz Reid was close as well.
A step closer to the bench, and the equipment would have hit him. Getting hit by equipment falling down from the roof could have caused a serious injury. That would have been one of the weirdest injuries in the history of the league.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in the incident. A referee removed the broken piece of equipment from the court before play continued. After the brief scare, Gobert finished the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks.
Rudy Could Have Caused Another Incident
The arena equipment incident was not the only one Gobert avoided. After dunking with 3:35 left in the second quarter, Gobert was in a scuffle with Onyeka Okongwu. The Hawks center pushed him, and then Rudy returned the favor with a bump.
Referees intervened and prevented a scuffle. But Okongwu was ready to fight, which might have caused another incident during the game. During the pause, Timberwolves forward Julius Randle had one of the funniest moments of the game, he tried fighting a game ball. Rudy and Onyeka got double technical for the plays.
The Timberwolves are Turning a Page
The Minnesota Timberwolves are steering in the right direction finally. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have climbed to the seventh spot in the Western Conference. Against the Hawks, Anthony Edwards led the way with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Randle added 20 points and eight rebounds.
With the win, the Timberwolves got within one win of the Clippers and Lakers, who are in the fifth and sixth seed in the West. But they have three more losses than the Lakers in the fifth and one more than the Clippers.
The Timberwolves Schedule is Kind Until the All-Star
The Timberwolves have a favorable schedule until the All-Star, which can help push the team further up in the standings. They play in Phoenix and Utah next, before starting a five-game home stand against Washington, Sacramento, Chicago, Houston, and Portland. They then have games in Cleveland, home against Milwaukee and Oklahoma City Thunder. But this stretch includes four games against teams that are fighting for a higher draft pick, not a playoff position.
The biggest test for the Timberwolves in February is before and after the All-Star break. They have three games against the Thunder. They play at home vs. Thunder before the All-Star break. Then they have a game in Houston, home against the Thunder, and one in Oklahoma City after the break.
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