Wolves aim to go big with Gobert vs. Lakers after veteran center's strong regular season finish

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Even with confidence and patience in the potential of their team adjusting after a surprise trade right before the beginning of training camp, the Minnesota Timberwolves were in rough shape at the All-Star break.

Rudy Gobert was at the top of the list, with a lower back injury that had just popped up and some lackluster performances over the first four months of the season. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, who'd been so vital to Minnesota's run to the 2024 Western Conference finals, simply looked out of sync on many nights after making so much progress from his first season with the Wolves to his second.

That unexpectedly extended break — he went 25 days between games — provided the reset that Gobert needed.

Since his return in early March, the 32-year-old has made a much more consistent impact on both ends of the floor while helping the Wolves finish strong with 17 wins in their last 21 games.

“He told us coming into and out of the All-Star break that he knew what he had to do to return to his best form. He’s done that,” coach Chris Finch said. "Early in the season, I think there were some normal frustrations and growing pains. It might’ve been fatigue coming out of the Olympics. There were two straight summers with a lot of basketball, and I think he maybe kind of purposely was in a lower gear, maybe saving himself, but the Rudy we see now is the Rudy we’ve seen all last year and the Rudy that we need to be the best team we can be.”

There's no time like the present, with the Wolves facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 is Saturday.

“Rudy’s going to have to be huge. I think he knows that. I think he’s prepared himself for this for the last couple months,” point guard Mike Conley said. “He’s really worked himself into great shape. He looked really good the last few weeks of the season, and we know we’re going to have to utilize him a lot.”

Gobert had 15 or more points and 15-plus rebounds in five of the last 10 games. His field goal percentage (70.7) and scoring (15.4) and rebounding (12.5) averages were markedly better in the 17 games he played after his injury than in 55 games prior to the All-Star break.

“I don't think my game changed. I just think I got in a little groove by trying to be more aggressive, trying to really set the tone for this team,” Gobert said. “And obviously the importance of the moment and importance of every single game down the stretch, I think, probably subconsciously allowed me to play at an even higher level.”

The only true center in the rotation for the Lakers is 7-footer Jaxson Hayes, who averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 19.5 minutes per game. They prefer to play smaller and faster, with of course the entire operation revolving around Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Doncic's arrival in the stunning trade with Dallas that sent center Anthony Davis to the Mavericks changed a whole lot in the Western Conference.

In the season-opening victory by the Lakers over Minnesota in Los Angeles, Davis dominated with 36 points and 16 rebounds while making Gobert’s defense moot. Minnesota won the next two matchups at home with better containment of Davis inside. The only time the Timberwolves faced the Lakers after the Doncic trade, a win in Los Angeles by the home team, Gobert was out.

In the Western Conference finals last season, when Dallas downed Minnesota in five games, Doncic averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 2.2 steals while hitting 23 3-pointers. Gobert was largely ineffective, with a minus-16 rating for the series. The center tandem of the high-leaping Dereck Lively and the bruising Daniel Gafford made the paint difficult for Gobert, even if that step-back 3-pointer by Doncic off a crossover dribble in Gobert's face to win Game 2 in Minnesota was the viral video clip from that matchup.

“My whole career, I'm very likely to be crossed over,” Gobert said this week. “Very likely people are going to hit some tough shots over me, and then I might get dunked on. All this stuff might happen, but let's see what happens over the course of hundreds and hundreds of possessions.”

Doncic will be eager to try to exploit the big man if he gets that matchup again on a crucial possession. As for the Wolves, well, they've got plenty of faith in Gobert despite the skepticism that surrounds him throughout the league regarding his effectiveness when the other team plays small ball.

“Some of these narratives are cheap. They’re easy. They grab a hold of them and just spin them all the time," Finch said. "But if you study what’s really going on, what the numbers might say, or being true to yourself in a lot of ways and trusting in why that’s been good to you, then I think there’s a lot of value in that. I don’t expect the average fan to dig into all of those things. But that’s our job.”

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Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) handles the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) goes up for a shot as Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski, right, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) claps during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Thursday that it has opened a criminal investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations against Motown music luminary Smokey Robinson.

The department said in a statement that its Special Victims Bureau is “actively investigating criminal allegations” against Robinson.

Last week, four former housekeepers of Robinson filed a lawsuit alleging that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted them, in some cases for years, while they worked for him.

The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024.

Robinson's lawyer said there was no merit to the allegations against the 85-year-old musical icon who was among the biggest hitmakers of the 1960s.

The attorney, Christopher Frost, said Tuesday the only reason for the suit is “unadulterated avarice.”

“We feel confident that a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong, and that this is a desperate attempt to prejudice public opinion and make even more of a media circus than the Plaintiffs were previously able to create,” Frost said.

John Harris and Herbert Hayden, the lawyers for the women, say they are pleased to learn that law enforcement is pursuing the allegations.

“Our clients intend to fully cooperate with LASD’s ongoing investigation in the pursuit of seeking justice for themselves and others that may have been similarly assaulted by him," the lawyers said.

The sheriff's statement said the investigation is in its early stages, and no other details would be provided.

Robinson's attorney said last week that the allegations “defy credulity” and are full of inconsistencies.

The four women, whose names have not been made public, each allege that Smokey Robinson would wait until he was alone with them in his Los Angeles house and then sexually assault and rape them. One woman said she worked for Robinson from 2012 until 2024 and was assaulted at least 20 times. Another said she worked for him from 2014 until 2020 and was assaulted at least 23 times.

Harris called Robinson a “serial and sick rapist” who must be stopped.

When asked at a May 6 news conference whether the women had talked to police, Hayden said no, but felt the allegations merited law enforcement getting involved.

All of the accusers said they eventually quit over the assaults. And all said they feared coming forward over fears of retaliation, public shame and possible effects on their immigration status.

Robinson churned out a host of hits as a central part of the Motown Records machine — both with his group the Miracles and as a solo artist, with songs including “Tears of a Clown” and “The Tracks of My Tears.” He also wrote and co-wrote songs for other Motown artists, including the Temptations' “My Girl.”

He is a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

FILE - Smokey Robinson attends the screening for "The Apollo" during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)