Rudy Gobert dominated with 25 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks, guiding the Minnesota Timberwolves (56-25) to a thrilling 109-106 victory over the Atlanta Hawks (36-45) on Friday night.
Gobert’s stellar performance propelled the Timberwolves into a three-way tie for first place in the Western Conference, alongside Denver and Oklahoma City, with one game remaining in the regular season. Minnesota holds key tiebreakers but needs favorable outcomes to secure the top seed.
Joining Gobert in the scoring effort, Naz Reid contributed 19 points, while Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley added 14 and 13 points, respectively. All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns made a triumphant return from injury, chipping in 11 points after an 18-game absence.
Despite the Hawks’ resilience, led by Trae Young’s 19 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 17, Atlanta, locked into the No. 10 seed in the East, faced an uphill battle throughout the game.
Minnesota’s victory was not without drama, as they squandered a substantial lead in the third quarter, allowing Atlanta to mount a comeback. However, timely contributions from Towns and Edwards sealed the Timberwolves’ triumph.
