The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the verge of eliminating the Golden State Warriors as they have a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter of Game 5. After losing Game 1 at home, the Timberwolves have rattled off three straight wins against the Stephen Curry-less Warriors, and Golden State hasn't had an answer in Game 5 either. Minnesota is on cruise control, and Rudy Gobert is a big reason why.
Rudy Gobert has looked good in Game 5 as he has 17 points and has only missed one shot. He has been incredibly efficient, and his level of play has earned him a new nickname from Shaq:
“I expect Anthony Edwards to go up, but it doesn't matter when you have Julius Randle and Rudy Abdul-Gobert,” Shaq said during the halftime show.
Gobert had 11 points on 5/5 shooting in the first half. He didn't miss, and Shaq clearly saw a lot of Kareem Adbul-Jabbar in him during the first two quarters.
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The Timberwolves have been in control of this game since the early stages as Golden State hasn't had the lead since it was 3-2. The Warriors were keeping things close during the first half, but Gobert and the Timberwolves opened up a more comfortable lead in the third quarter. Now, they are just a few minutes away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
After taking Game 1 on the road, the Warriors put themselves in a good spot to win this series. They did lose Stephen Curry in that win, however, and it's been all Minnesota since then.
If the Warriors miraculously comeback to win Game 5, the series will shift back to California for a Game 6 on Sunday night. Unfortunately for Golden State, that is looking extremely unlikely.
Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves are close to advancing, and if they finish it off, they will play either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. Oklahoma City is currently up 3-2 in that series with a chance to advance tomorrow.
