
Vintage Luka Doncic allegedly advises Wolves coaches to bench Rudy Gobert after 1v1 dominance
Luka Doncic was on a heater in Game 2 of the Timberwolves-Lakers first-round series on Tuesday. As many predicted before the series, Doncic turned the pressure on four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert every time he got switched onto the Slovenian. Doncic scored several times on Gobert, making the most of his deceleration and shiftiness.
After scoring in an isolation in the second quarter, Doncic appeared to mock Gobert by asking the Wolves coaches to bench the Frenchman.
As cameras turned to Doncic, the Lakers star could be seen mouthing:
"Sub him out."
Here's a video:
Doncic had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists on 6 of 10 shooting with 2:36 left in the first half. The Lakers' game-high lead was 22 points. Doncic added nine more points in the second half as the Lakers won the contest 94-85. The Slovenian shot 9 of 20, including 2 of 8 from 3-point range, and 11 of 11 from the free throw line.
He added 12 rebounds and nine assists in a complete performance against one of the league's best defensive teams, led by Gobert. However, the Timberwolves big man struggled to make an impact as he scored only six points, six rebounds and two steals.
Gobert also played just 28 minutes. With the 7-foot-1 center failing to capitalize on LA's lack of size at center, he was a non-factor in this matchup. The Lakers' five-out offense often left him isolated on the perimeter against mismatch hunters like Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who exposed Rudy Gobert's lack of lateral quickness and foot speed.