Certainly, Rudy Gobert took just eight shots and was off the court for the final four minutes Tuesday night, but his impact in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ momentous success over the Brooklyn Nets slats (102-107) is measured far beyond beyond the numbers. “He played a great game” simply summarized his coach, Chris Finch, reading the stats sheet of the French pivot (12 points to 5 of 8 on shots, 12 rebounds in 34 minutes), welcoming in particular the spaces that the Frenchman had been able to create to facilitate the game on the outskirts.
Another Frenchy was perfectly in the nails on Tuesday night. Even if the end of the season is completely freewheeling for the Charlotte Hornets, defeated at home by the Toronto Raptors (100-120), Theo Maledon once again shone with the North Carolina franchise. Better, he even offered his first double-double of the season, with 13 points (5/14 on shots), 11 assists and 6 rebounds in 39 minutes, signing in passing a second consecutive game with more than 10 assists.
For the three other Frenchmen engaged last night, it was less brilliant. Defeats with OKC on the floor of Golden State (136-125), Ousmane Dieng (3 pts and 2 assists in 8 minutes) and Olivier Sarr (2 rebounds in 3 minutes) had a discreet contribution off the bench. Killian Hayes, he spent much more time playing with the Pistons defeated by Miami (105-118). In 42 minutes, the Detroit leader scored 7 points (3/8 on shots) and distributed 8 assists.