The Minnesota Timberwolves did all they could to hold down Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic in Game 5 on Tuesday night. Despite their best effort, however, including that from four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, Jokic still came out to totally dominate the Wolves to lead Denver to a 112-97 victory.
Thanks to Jokic’s heroics (40 points on 15-of-22 shooting, seven rebounds, 13 assists, two steals, a block, two triples, and zero turnovers), the Nuggets have now won three straight games in this series and are now just one victory away from another Western Conference Finals berth.
Unfortunately for Gobert, he ended up on the wrong end of the stick after being completely outplayed by Jokic on the offensive end.
The Timberwolves big man was a bit of a loss for words as he tried to make some sense out of Jokic’s “incredible” performance in Game 5:
Rudy Gobert feels he blocked Nikola Jokic multiple times during his third quarter but they went in anyway.
“He was in the zone, put the team on his back.” pic.twitter.com/Xt1ZBzCQIa
— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) May 15, 2024
To be fair to Gobert, he didn’t make any excuses. He knows full well that he was totally dominated by the Serbian in Game 5, and Gobert just had to give Jokic his flowers.
You don’t see these types of jaw-dropping performances very often — against the best defender in the NBA today, no less. This just speaks volumes of how special Jokic truly is and how he is on a relentless mission to lead his team to a second straight championship.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!