Rudy Gobert’s Historic Night: How It Compares


The Minnesota Timberwolves shocked the NBA world by eliminating the Los Angeles Lakers via a first-round gentleman’s sweep with a 103-96 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday. 

Rudy Gobert NBA Minnesota Timberwolves
 (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Anthony Edwards who played the hero. Nor was it Julius Randle or Jaden McDaniel. It was the often overlooked, often criticized four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert who delivered a career-defining performance to send the T-Wolves to the second round. Gobert’s 27 points and 24 rebounds pushed Minnesota over the hump despite an abysmal shooting performance and his presence was the single deciding factor in the game Wednesday evening. 

Rudy Gobert Makes NBA History with Dominant Game 6 Performance

According to StatMuse, Gobert became one of four players in NBA history to score 25+ points and grab 20+ rebounds while shooting 75% in a playoff game. It gets better, though. Gobert made 12-of-15 attempts from the field, making him the only player in history to accrue those numbers with at least an 80% field goal percentage. 

To say that Gobert’s dominance bailed Minnesota out in Game 5 would be an understatement.  According to Yahoo! Sports NBA guru Kevin O’Connor, the Timberwolves’ 7-of-47 (14.9 percent) performance from 3-point range was the worst ever by a team with at least 34 attempts in an NBA playoff game. That’s in a win or a loss. 

Gobert also had his usual impact on defense, registering a series-high two blocks while guarding both the post and the perimeter with elite proficiency. The Frenchman’s dominance on that end of the floor was prominent throughout the series, of course, as he held his matchups to a combined 29-of-81 (35.8 percent) from the field overall and 9-of-33 (27.3 percent) from 3-point range. 

How does The Stifle Tower’s night compare to some other classic NBA closeout game performances? Especially from players who may not have been the number one star on their respective teams. Keep in mind, this isn’t a list of the greatest closeout performances, just a short list of performances that compare to Gobert’s statistically in NBA playoff history.

Carlos Boozer, 2010 First Round Game 6 vs. Denver

Until Giannis Antetokounmpo registered his first 20-point, 20-rebound closeout performance in 2022, Carlos Boozer’s masterpiece to send Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets packing in 2010 was the most recent occurrence. 

Boozer scored 22 points and grabbed 20 rebounds while shooting 10-of-14 from the field overall. The Booz Cruise also had five assists and was an effective defender throughout the game, limiting Denver’s Kenyon Martin to just four points. 

Boozer and the Jazz would eventually go on to lose the next round to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game sweep. 

Shaquille O’Neal, 2006 First Round Game 6 vs. Chicago

In what was arguably the last great performance of The Big Diesel’s NBA career, Shaq helped kickstart the Miami Heat’s 2006 NBA Championship run with a dominant 30-point, 20-rebound game to close out the Chicago Bulls in Game 6 of the first round. It was the only time Shaq recorded a 20/20 game with the Miami Heat, and it was also the last time he did so during his career in general. 

It couldn’t have come at a better time for Miami at that point, as the upset-minded No. 7 seed Bulls won each of the first two games in Chicago to put the pressure on. Dwayne Wade’s 28 points gave Miami the edge in Game 5 before Shaq put the Bulls to bed with a dominant Game 6 performance. 

Brad Daugherty, 1993 First Round Game 5 vs. New Jersey

Perhaps the timeliest performance of Cavaliers legend Brad Daugherty’s prestigious NBA career, the sixth-year center out of North Carolina tallied 24 points and 20 rebounds to lead Cleveland to a 99-89 winner-take-all victory over the Nets. Keep in mind, this was before the NBA made the call to change all playoff series to seven-game tilts starting in 2003. 

Daugherty made 10-of-17 attempts from the field and dished out eight assists to help make up for just 25 combined points from Mark Price and Craig Ehlo. Daugherty was one of Cleveland’s three NBA All-Stars in 1992-93, joining Price and Larry Nance. He also finished 10th in the MVP voting. 





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