Rudy Gobert had a big game with 25 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 109-106 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
This win puts the Timberwolves in a tie for first place in the Western Conference with Denver and Oklahoma City. Minnesota holds tiebreakers over both teams with one game left to play, but Oklahoma City would win in a three-way tiebreaker for the top spot.
Coach Chris Finch emphasized the importance of winning their upcoming game against Phoenix and relying on other results to secure the top seed.
He highlighted the team’s resilience throughout the regular season, especially with the return of All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns, who contributed 11 points after being sidelined for 18 games due to knee surgery.
“After spending so much time observing the team, I have a better idea of how I can contribute when I’m on the court,” Towns said. He shot 4 for 11 from the field and recorded eight assists and five rebounds.
Trae Young led Atlanta with 19 points in 27 minutes, his second game back after a six-week absence due to a hand injury. Bogdan Bogdanović scored 17 points, and Clint Capela added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks.
Atlanta has secured the No. 10 seed in the East and will play against Chicago in the play-in tournament. Gobert was perfect from the field, making all 10 attempts, including eight dunks. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Wolves bounced back from blowing a 17-point lead in the third quarter.
“When he plays with this level of confidence, we become a challenging team to face,” Towns remarked.
Minnesota led by nine at halftime and extended its lead to 76-59 in the third quarter. However, they went nearly five minutes without scoring, allowing the Hawks to go on a 14-0 run and tie the game 80-80 heading into the fourth quarter.
Towns made a crucial 3-pointer with 2:29 left, giving Minnesota a 101-100 lead, while Edwards contributed six points in the final moments to secure the win.
“My shots weren’t going in, but I knew I just needed one to fall, and I’m happy it happened when it counted today,” Towns commented. “The next game will be a different challenge.”
The game also marked the return of Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, who hadn’t been seen at a Timberwolves game since their bid to take over as majority owners seemingly fell apart on March 28.
The pair sat across from Glen Taylor, the team’s long-standing majority owner, who claimed Rodriguez and Lore missed a deadline to finalize an ownership transfer, a claim the two have contested.
