“Getting the win is obviously important, but getting a win like this that’s coming down to the wire, that you have to grind out—just how much does that mean to you guys?” Rudy Gobert: “Means a lot. You know, it’s a big game. Once again, being able to close in the last few minutes, execute. I thought Ant was pretty good making the right play in the last three minutes of the game. Yeah, I think the work that we put into the game is really impacting them. Our goal is to wear them down—doing it over and over and over—and stay poised where we are, and then the game takes care of itself.”
Source: YouTube
Source: YouTube
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Christopher Hine @ChristopherHine
All season, folks who didn’t watch the Wolves wondered what would happen if Gobert got quote-unquote played off the floor.
If you watched the Wolves, you knew they could go with a lineup of Naz-Julius in the front court and be just fine. Tonight is the best example of that. – 12:27 AM
All season, folks who didn’t watch the Wolves wondered what would happen if Gobert got quote-unquote played off the floor.
If you watched the Wolves, you knew they could go with a lineup of Naz-Julius in the front court and be just fine. Tonight is the best example of that. – 12:27 AM
Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Luka’s finding a second wind here, scoring four straight with 2 FT’s and then a leaner over Gobert to tie the game at 103 with 4:37 to play.
Time out, Minnesota. – 12:06 AM
Luka’s finding a second wind here, scoring four straight with 2 FT’s and then a leaner over Gobert to tie the game at 103 with 4:37 to play.
Time out, Minnesota. – 12:06 AM
Christopher Hine @ChristopherHine
Finch re-inserted Gobert, and Luka went right at him. 4 straight points, tie ballgame with 4:37 left. – 12:05 AM
Finch re-inserted Gobert, and Luka went right at him. 4 straight points, tie ballgame with 4:37 left. – 12:05 AM
Dave McMenamin @mcten
Rudy Gobert at shootaround this morning about being on an island defensively against Luka Doncic: “I live for those moments.”
He just got the better of Doncic in a huge sequence here late in the 3rd Q, poking the ball away from Luka on the perimeter and igniting a MIN fastbreak. – 11:37 PM
Rudy Gobert at shootaround this morning about being on an island defensively against Luka Doncic: “I live for those moments.”
He just got the better of Doncic in a huge sequence here late in the 3rd Q, poking the ball away from Luka on the perimeter and igniting a MIN fastbreak. – 11:37 PM
Christopher Hine @ChristopherHine
Maybe the internet will clip Gobert stealing the ball from Doncic in isolation and it leading to a three-point play for McDaniels. Maybe not. – 11:34 PM
Maybe the internet will clip Gobert stealing the ball from Doncic in isolation and it leading to a three-point play for McDaniels. Maybe not. – 11:34 PM
Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
I think this game has pretty emphatically shown that the Rudy Gobert problem, at least so far in this series, isn’t with his perimeter defense, it’s with his offense and his rebounding. – 10:53 PM
I think this game has pretty emphatically shown that the Rudy Gobert problem, at least so far in this series, isn’t with his perimeter defense, it’s with his offense and his rebounding. – 10:53 PM
Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
Dorian Finney-Smith has been mostly excellent for the Lakers. Great addition.
Gotta know better than to attempt a “directly under the basket with no momentum even with a half-hearted pivot” layup over Rudy Gobert. – 10:10 PM
Dorian Finney-Smith has been mostly excellent for the Lakers. Great addition.
Gotta know better than to attempt a “directly under the basket with no momentum even with a half-hearted pivot” layup over Rudy Gobert. – 10:10 PM
Todd Whitehead @CrumpledJumper
A full accounting of Rudy Gobert guarding in space against the Lakers in Game 2. He faced 35 challenges and allowed only 22 points (0.63 points-per). By my count, the good plays (18👍) outweighed the bad ones (6👎) by a ratio of 3:1.
🧵 has a grade for each one. pic.x.com/OCfBCCtjkQ – 4:11 PM
A full accounting of Rudy Gobert guarding in space against the Lakers in Game 2. He faced 35 challenges and allowed only 22 points (0.63 points-per). By my count, the good plays (18👍) outweighed the bad ones (6👎) by a ratio of 3:1.
🧵 has a grade for each one. pic.x.com/OCfBCCtjkQ – 4:11 PM
Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
The Lakers sought out Rudy Gobert on the perimeter in around 18% of their half-court possessions in Game 2, or 30% of their HC possessions during Rudy’s minutes.
It isn’t working. I dig into why, and what it means for the offense as a whole, below.
cbssports.com/nba/news/the-l… – 3:22 PM
The Lakers sought out Rudy Gobert on the perimeter in around 18% of their half-court possessions in Game 2, or 30% of their HC possessions during Rudy’s minutes.
It isn’t working. I dig into why, and what it means for the offense as a whole, below.
cbssports.com/nba/news/the-l… – 3:22 PM
More on this storyline
James has defied every established NBA norm for an aging player, but he isn’t approaching a game in 2025 like he did when he was in his 20s. His first step off the dribble isn’t as devastating as it used to be. He can’t simply outleap his defender to finish over him like before. Through the first two games of the Minnesota series, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert have done a serviceable job containing him in the half court. But James’ mental grasp of the game is as strong as ever. In 2018, he admitted to saving “pockets of energy” throughout a game by figuring out which possessions he can rest while a teammate orchestrates the offense, so he can expend more energy on defense. Playing wide receiver to Doncic’s quarterback is just his latest update to the software. When asked before the start of the playoffs what has been key to his chemistry with Doncic, James deferred to his 26-year-old counterpart. “Offensively? Give Luka the ball. If we stay ready,” James said, “we never got to get ready.” -via ESPN / April 25, 2025
You said that the moment you felt like you started to feel those emotions—you said the moment you started to cry—was when you saw that shot you made over Rudy Gobert in the Western Conference Finals. Why was that the moment that made you tear up? Luka: Well, I would say just the chemistry we had with that team. You know, everybody had each other’s back. We were rolling. We were always the underdog in that series, and we came through. It was just—I don’t know how to explain—it was special moments. It was just… most of all, I mean, fun. Obviously fun, but on the court, we were all connected. -via YouTube / April 24, 2025
Jon Krawczynski: Anthony Edwards started out standing up for Rudy Gobert with a heckler, but what he said to finish the interaction got the league’s attention. -via x.com / April 22, 2025