Nikola Jokic vs Rudy Gobert NBA playoffs stats, records and more explored

The Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves will go head-to-head from Saturday in the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs. Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic, two of the league's top centers, will face off in consecutive seasons in the playoffs.

Last season, the Nuggets faced the Timberwolves in the first round of the postseason and defeated them 4-1 in the series to advance to the second round. The series saw Jamal Murray and Jokic have an excellent series against a weak Timberwolves defense with no answer on the offense.

However, the Timberwolves look completely different this season, led by their young star Anthony Edwards. Moreover, coach Chris Finch helped Gobert transform his defense, which should play a pivotal role in the series.

Nikola Jokic vs Rudy Gobert NBA playoffs stats explored

Gobert and Jokic play in similar positions. However, Jokic's impact on the court has been more varied throughout the regular season and in the playoffs. Gobert's contribution is primarily on defense and attacking in the paint, but the Nuggets' whole offense revolves around Jokic.

Nikola Jokic has been to playoffs six out of his nine seasons. He has played 73 playoff games and averaged 27.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. He has also shot 53.2% from the field and 40.8% from beyond the arc.

Last season, Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to their first-ever NBA title, defeating the Miami Heat in the finals and he was declared the Finals MVP.

On the other hand, Gobert has been one of the prime orchestrators on the defense. Of the 11 seasons in the league, Gobert has made it to the playoffs eight times, six of those coming with the Utah Jazz before he joined the Timberwolves. He has played 58 games in the playoffs and averaged 13.7 ppg, 11.3 rpg and 1.7 blocks per game.

Despite making 65.5% of shots from the field, Gobert shoots only 7.7 field goals per game, which undermines the ability to take advantage of his height. During the 2018-19 playoffs, he averaged a league-high 2.6 blocks per game in the playoffs.

Nikola Jokic vs Rudy Gobert NBA playoffs stats against each other

Nikola Jokic and Gobert have faced each other in 12 playoff games and the two-time MVP holds a better record against the Timberwolves star. In those 12 games, Jokic has averaged 26.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 6.9 apg, while Gobert has averaged 16.1 ppg, 11.8 rpg and 1.5 apg.

Of those 12 games, Gobert played seven games as a Jazz player and five as a member of the Timberwolves. Jokic leads the matchup with an 8-4 record against the Frenchman.

Nuggets vs Timberwolves head-to-head NBA playoffs record

The Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves have faced each other only twice in a playoff series and have a 5-5 record. The Nuggets faced the Kevin Garnett-led Timberwolves in the opening round of the 2003-04 NBA playoffs, and Minnesota won the series 4-1.

Then, they met each other last season, and the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves by 4-1 in the first round.

This year, the Nuggets want to repeat their title run and become back-to-back champions. However, with the rise of Edwards and their league-best defense, the Timberwolves also have a legitimate chance to win the title this year.