Hollywood lied to Rudy Gobert.
White males can bounce, and Christian Braun did simply that in a key stretch of the fourth quarter in Denver's 116-107 victory over the Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Braun threw down three spectacular dunks in 63 basketball seconds and Denver doubled its lead from seven to 14 within the closing minutes of a must-win sport for Denver's hopes of changing into the No. 1 seed.
It began with a reduce by way of Gobert assisted by Nikola Jokic. One of the best of Braun's three dunks got here slightly greater than 30 seconds later. The second-year wing caught an extended cross from Jamal Murray and attacked Gobert in a two-on-one state of affairs with Peyton Watson rolling towards the rim from the opposite aspect of the courtroom.
“A number of credit score goes to 'P-Wat' as nicely as a result of I feel Rudy knew P-Wat was operating after him,” Braun mentioned. “So he hunkered down, he tracked, he tried to play each, which is what you're presupposed to do in transition, clearly. He was simply caught between two guys who assault the rim fairly exhausting.”
The 7-foot-5 rim protector acted as if Braun was Billy Hoyle, Woody Harrelson's down-to-earth character within the 1992 movie “White Males Can't Leap.” As Gobert stepped again, Braun took off his left foot and flipped the ball into his left hand within the air, dropping a one-handed dunk over the Defensive Participant of the 12 months favourite.
“I might undoubtedly say it's in all probability the most effective (dunk) thus far,” the 22-year-old mentioned of his brief NBA profession.
“That sequence was additionally actually humorous. Simply getting up and down, that's once we play our greatest basketball.”
The third kick of an thrilling stretch was an alley-oop by Michael Porter Jr. Then Watson, Sidney Deane to Braun's Hoyle in Denver's second unit, blocked his sixth shot and dropped a tomahawk jam that put an exclamation level on most of Denver. necessary win of the season.
“I'll be sincere, there have been a number of the place I informed them, 'Decelerate. Decelerate, let's work the clock,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned.
“It was like a dunk present.
Malone rewarded his younger wings with spots within the closing lineup alongside Jokic, Murray and Porter. The Denver coach praised his younger duo for benefiting from a “golden alternative.” Braun credited his coach with giving him the liberty to get pleasure from what he known as the most effective sequence of his profession.
“Clearly belief is an enormous a part of it. He stored us on the market in the course of the ups and downs, in the course of the sport. He may have put us all the way down to guys who usually end the sport, however he believed in me and 'P' believed in our protection, he believed in us that we may do it. These video games don't occur if we come out early,” Braun mentioned.
“Coach trusting us at that second, in an enormous sport like this, means rather a lot.
The common starters imagine they’ll depend on younger, leaping wings in the event that they need to repeat this 12 months's postseason. Denver enters the ultimate two video games of the common season a sport forward of the Timberwolves and Thunder. The two-0 consequence means Denver has dwelling courtroom benefit a minimum of till the NBA Finals. Amongst Jap Convention groups, solely Boston would have home-court benefit over Denver within the NBA Finals.
“We undoubtedly want them to win the championship,” Aaron Gordon mentioned within the locker room. “I'm so pleased for them.”
Jokič was in the identical state of affairs after his 41-point efficiency.
“That 2-minute sequence, that was actually wonderful,” Jokic mentioned. “I'm at all times pleased for these guys. I feel they don't get sufficient credit score (for) what they do on the ground and the way they assist us when it comes to vitality and energy. We want them.”
Gordon realized about Braun's hops final season.
“I assumed he was going to put it down and he simply skied and dunked it,” Gordon mentioned.
Braun mentioned the key to his uncommon bounce is one half genetics, one half exhausting work.
“I did slightly little bit of train rising up, however I don't know,” Braun mentioned.
“My dad tries to take credit score for it, however I don't know. I didn't see that.”
Whatever the supply, Gobert realized an incontrovertible fact: Braun can arise.
“I don't often attempt that within the fourth quarter of an enormous sport like this, however … I didn't need to go together with the lineup in opposition to the most effective defensive participant within the league,” Braun mentioned. “It’s important to assault him exhausting.