Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert: Excels while playing through injury

Gobert (ankle) tallied 14 points (5-10 FG, 4-5 FT), eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal in 30 minutes in Monday's 136-115 win over the Hawks.

Gobert's status was cloudy heading into the day while he managed a left ankle sprain, but the veteran center showed no sign of being affected by the injury while taking on a normal minutes count Monday. Though the Timberwolves may have some buyer's remorse about giving up a cache of draft picks and players to acquire Gobert from the Jazz this past summer, the 30-year-old has recently stepped up his play. Over his seven appearances since the All-Star break, Gobert is shooting 63.9 percent from the floor and is averaging 16.3 points, 10.7 boards, 2.0 blocks, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals.