Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert blasted officials for how they’ve called Minnesota’s games — especially against some of the marquee teams, markets and names, including their seven-point loss to the Suns on Wednesday.
Phoenix, which featured Kevin Durant making his home debut following a trade from Brooklyn and an injury absence, attempted 27 free throws compared to Minnesota’s 12.
According to USA TODAY, Gobert was whistled for four offensive fouls in the second half, while the Timberwolves were called for 24 fouls across the 48 minutes.
It’s bulls–t,” Gobert said following the 107-100 loss, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Bulls–t. It’s not fair. It’s really not fair. Every night. I’ve been in this league for 10 years and I try to always give the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard for me to think they’re not trying to help them win tonight.
“It’s hard for me to think they didn’t try to help the Warriors win the other night or Sacramento Kings the other night.”
The question that prompted Gobert’s answer touched on the “free-flowing” first half, the plethora of fouls in the second and whether that makes it harder for Gobert — who has won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award three times — to defend.
“It’s just so obvious,” Gobert continued in his answer. “As a basketball player that’s been in this league for so long, it’s disrespectful and it sucks, to be honest. We work so hard to be in a position to compete with the best and we just get manipulated into those situations where it just impacts the game for the other team too much. They know how to do it. They do it a lot of different ways. Tonight was another way of doing it.”
Gobert continued by saying that he knows that fans want to see the league’s most notable players — like Durant, Steph Curry and LeBron James — in the postseason, while acknowledging that the Timberwolves, or their individual players, haven’t reached their level yet.
With five games remaining in their regular season, the Timberwolves sit in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 39-38 record.
They only trail the Suns, the conference’s fourth-place team, by two games, but there’s only a two-game gap separating Minnesota from 11th place — and the outside of the NBA play-in tournament — altogether.
Gobert, in his 10th NBA season, has averaged 13.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, and in Wednesday’s game against Phoenix, he scored seven points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
“We got to keep putting our head down, keep playing through that,” Gobert said to conclude his officiating rant, according to the Star Tribune, “and it’s frustrating for sure, especially for me.”
