Anthony Edwards Notes Rudy Gobert's Value After Timberwolves' Blowout Loss

The Minnesota Timberwolves got a harsh reminder of just how important Rudy Gobert is to their team on Sunday night.

Without their starting center, the Timberwolves were blown out 135-108 by the Philadelphia 76ers at Target Center, marking their biggest loss of the 2025-26 season.

The defeat dropped Minnesota to 35-23 on the year, while Philadelphia improved to 31-26.

After the game, star guard Anthony Edwards did not hold back when talking about how much the team missed Gobert, who was serving a one-game suspension after picking up his seventh flagrant foul of the season.

"I mean, everybody in the world know without Rudy, it's tough," Edwards said, and the final score only proved his point.

The Timberwolves looked completely out of sorts from the jump, and the 76ers took full advantage of the opportunity with Gobert sidelined.

The problems started before the opening tip.

Not only was Gobert suspended, but backup big man Naz Reid was also ruled out with shoulder soreness, leaving head coach Chris Finch scrambling to put together a frontcourt.

Rookie Joan Beringer got his first career start but picked up two quick fouls in the first four minutes and spent most of the game on the bench.

That forced Edwards and the rest of the roster into spots they were not used to playing.

"We was all out of whack today," Edwards said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

"We had Slim at the 5, Julius at the 5 sometimes. I was at the 4. It was crazy today."

The 76ers led by as many as 29 and were never really tested, shooting 52 percent from the floor and hitting 21 threes at a 57 percent clip.

Tyrese Maxey led the way with 39 points and eight assists.

Edwards still put up 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting, but committed seven turnovers in a game where Minnesota turned it over 21 times as a team.

The 76ers scored 21 points off those mistakes and took 26 more field-goal attempts than the Wolves.

The loss put a spotlight on something the Timberwolves have known all year.

Gobert might not always fill up the stat sheet, but his presence changes everything about how this team plays.

He is averaging 11.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 70.6 percent from the field, and his rim protection anchors a defense that ranks seventh in the NBA.

Without him, the Wolves had no answer at the rim and their half-court defense fell apart completely.

Edwards has talked before about how much he values playing alongside Gobert, calling his center "phenomenal" earlier this season and pointing to the chemistry the two have built together.

The Edwards-Gobert pairing carries a 118.3 offensive rating and a plus-7.8 net rating when they share the floor.

Gobert's suspension was only for one game and he should be back in the lineup when Minnesota begins a three-game road trip in Portland on Tuesday.

But any additional flagrant fouls from here on out will result in a two-game suspension, which means Gobert will need to be careful the rest of the way.

Minnesota still has championship hopes and Edwards is playing at an MVP-caliber level, averaging 29.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

But Sunday's blowout showed that this team's ceiling and floor are worlds apart depending on whether their four-time Defensive Player of the Year is on the court.