The Minnesota Timberwolves will look to follow up what head coach Chris Finch deemed a “really good character win” when they host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves recorded their sixth victory in seven outings Friday by overcoming the absences of three-time All-Star Anthony Edwards and backcourt mate Mike Conley in a 127-120 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Rudy Gobert made all six of his shots from the floor in the fourth quarter and finished 11-for-13 from the floor to highlight his 24-point, 14-rebound performance.
“Rudy was huge. … He finished extremely well, strong, a bunch of dunks,” Finch said. “Played great through all the contact there. He was outstanding defensively in everything we did; switched with them, chased with them. It was one of his best defensive efforts of the season, for sure.”
Julius Randle recorded 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Donte DiVincenzo added 21, six and four, respectively.
“Tonight, we just settled down at the right time, trusting one another,” said DiVincenzo, who made a pair of key 3-pointers and two free throws with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
“We made big plays. When we stay together, we stay composed, it doesn’t matter who we have on the floor.”
In addition to the absences of Edwards (right foot soreness) and Conley (right Achilles tendinopathy), the Wolves also lost Bones Hyland to a right knee contusion just 4 1/2 minutes into his 11th career start and first of the season.
Edwards, the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, is expected to return to the lineup Sunday.
He’s eclipsed his team-best average of 28.7 points per game in two of the three meetings against Sacramento this season. Edwards had 30 points in a 124-110 victory over the Kings on Nov. 14 and erupted for 43 points on 16-for-29 shooting in a 117-112 overtime setback in Sacramento on Nov. 24.
The Kings responded to the latter contest by losing six of their last seven games, including a 136-105 decision to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
“It felt like an energy thing, and, notoriously, when you go out on a long road trip and you come back, the first game, the energy is just kind of weird sometimes,” Sacramento coach Doug Christie said. “Tonight, the energy just wasn’t there. The vibe with the energy just wasn’t there.”
Malik Monk scored 18 points off the bench and Russell Westbrook added 17 for the undermanned Kings, who are missing starters Zach LaVine (thumb soreness) and Domantas Sabonis (left knee), as well as backup point guard Dennis Schroder (hip).
Nique Clifford mustered just two points on 1-of-8 shooting (0-of-6 from 3-point range) while starting in place of LaVine on Thursday. Rookie Maxime Raynaud fared significantly better in place of Sabonis, collecting 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan is averaging 17.7 points across 25 starts for Sacramento this season.
