Gobert shares his thoughts after the team's impressive victory over New York.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were expected to take a step back this season after trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, but they've proven the doubters wrong and have been playing some of their best basketball of the year.
On Tuesday night, Minnesota extended its winning streak to three games with a commanding 115-104 victory over the short-handed Knicks at Target Center.
The win improved Minnesota to 20-10 on the season while dropping New York to 20-9, and the Timberwolves have now won 10 of their last 12 games heading into their Christmas Day matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
Gobert Opens Up About His Career Journey
Rudy Gobert has been on an absolute tear lately, and the four-time Defensive Player of the Year continued his dominant stretch against the Knicks with another impressive double-double.
After recently surpassing 10,000 career rebounds, a milestone that only 44 other players in NBA history have reached, Gobert reflected on what the accomplishment means to him.
"It's just good sometimes to take time to pause and reflect a little bit on the journey and then what's been accomplished, even though I still have so much more to accomplish," Gobert said. "It's good to just relax and look back. It's cool."
Head coach Chris Finch has been vocal about how important his veteran center is to Minnesota's success, and after Tuesday's game he didn't hold back his praise for Gobert's recent performances.
"It's Defensive Player of the Year stuff," Finch said. "It's every bit as good as it was two seasons ago and every other time he's won the award. It's phenomenal."
Gobert Stuffs the Stat Sheet
Against New York, the 33-year-old big man finished with 11 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and two steals across 38 minutes of action, marking his 13th double-double of the season.
While Gobert is averaging under 12.0 points for the first time since 2015-16, he's shooting over 70 percent from the field and remains one of the most impactful defenders in the league.
Anthony Edwards led the way for Minnesota with a game-high 38 points, while Julius Randle added 25 points with 17 of those coming in the fourth quarter.
Edwards made sure to give Randle his flowers after the game, calling him "The Bully" for his dominant play down the stretch.
The Timberwolves were able to take control of the game despite Towns putting up 26 points for New York, as the Knicks were missing key contributors OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson due to injury maintenance.
Minnesota now turns its attention to Thursday's Christmas Day showdown against the Nuggets, a game that could be a preview of another potential Western Conference Playoffs matchup. Tip-off is set for 10:30 p.m. EST.