Rudy Gobert felt "disrespected" by the outcome of the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

But the 33-year-old demonstrated his quality by shackling Nikola Jokic to 1-of-8 shooting in a 119-114 win for the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Denver Nuggets.

Jokic endured the worst shooting performance of his playoff career against a single defender (minimum six attempts). He still finished with 24 points, adding 15 rebounds, but Gobert generally came out on top.

"I was lucky," Gobert quipped. "A top three defender cannot do that. So I was lucky.

"Not the first time I've gotten disrespected.

"Probably not the last. If you want to disrespect greatness, take it for granted, whatever, soon they'll realise the impact."

it’s a series. pic.twitter.com/D3POEJWLAF

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 21, 2026

After a quiet first half, three-time MVP Jokic surged in the third quarter. Anthony Edwards explained what he said to Gobert during a huddle at the start of the fourth, with the Nuggets winning at that stage.

"I told him we ain't bringing no double team," said Edwards, who led Minnesota with 30 points.

"You're gonna guard [Jokic] one-on-one. Stop fouling. Stop going for the reach-in. Because he's going to flop. They're going to call the foul. Play him straight up.

"We're half the team when [Gobert's] on the bench.

"They don't understand what he means to us when he's on the floor. People don't want to lay the ball up around him. They don't want to go at Rudy."

Elsewhere, CJ McCollum was the Atlanta Hawks' hero as his 34 points propelled them to a 107-106 win over the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their series.

Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley combined for 83 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 115-105.