With Imperial Rudy Gober, the Wolves crush the Kings

Rudy Gobert finally has his benchmark matchup this season, and four-time best defender of the year dominated the game against the Kings with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks. After him, the Wolves gave a basketball lesson to the partners of Domantas Sabonis with a 144-117 success.

In the ultimate vintage Wolves jersey, Gobert set the tone from the start. Covers Sabonis to wish him a safe return to the field, then goes across the field to score from behind. Now with his head shaved, the Frenchman is unleashed and will finish this first quarter at 100% on shots with three blocks. On his side, Anthony Edwards doesn’t drop a single one (for now…), and Julius Randle and Naz Reed are responsible for increasing the gap (25-16). After twelve minutes, the Kings stay in touch thanks to some nice 3-point skill (6 of 11).

Edwards catches fire

But Sacramento goes off the rails, and the turnovers continue… Zach LaVine struggles as best he can and brings his team back to within four units (49-45). Except this closer has the misfortune, for the Kings, to wake up Edwards. The All-Star guard suddenly caught fire and scored 13 points in less than three minutes! As a result, the Wolves lead by 19 points, and the Kings are already on the ropes with 71 points conceded at the break.

Returning from the locker room, Edwards insists, and his two new triples bring the deficit to +28! We think that Edwards from the last playoffs is as aggressive as he is easy. Better, he looks for the best possible shot and forces others to play. The kings have realized that there is nothing to do, and the audience is already leaving the room… The last quarter is just a formality and allows us to see, eye to eye, two French newcomers: Joan Behringer and Maxime Renault. Final score: 144-117 for the Wolves, who won their 4th in five games.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

The blows continue… Beaten by 31 points to the Thunder, the Kings took 27 against the Wolves. We understand better why it was not crowded on big nights in the Golden 1 center. The team defends little, if at all, and the forward talent (Sabonis, DeRozan, LaVine, etc.) is not enough on this side of the United States. The public has been clamoring for the return of Keon Ellis, and Doug Christie will wait until the last quarter to play him…

The Edwards Spark. An 0-of-5 shooter to start the night, Anthony Edwards lost at the end of the second quarter with 13 points in less than three minutes. The star Wolves full-back also showed his selflessness in the second half, and we saw him throw himself at balls. A leader by example.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.