Nine French players stepped onto NBA hardwood overnight, but Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabaté commanded the spotlight by hauling in a staggering 11 offensive rebounds, TrashTalk reported.
Diabaté anchored the Hornets’ paint presence in a hard-fought victory against the Washington Wizards, proving why he earned the NBA Hustle Award last season. While teammate Brandon Miller shouldered the scoring load with 39 points, the team’s triumph depended heavily on Diabaté’s relentless energy inside.
Inside Diabaté’s Dominant Night in the Paint
Diabaté finished the contest with 11 points, 17 total rebounds—11 of which came on the offensive glass—along with 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 interception. He shot 4-of-6 from the field and converted 3-of-4 free throws, showing zero hesitation when matched up against veteran big man Anthony Davis.
MOUSSA DIABATE EST CE SOLDAT 😤17 rebonds cette nuit dont 11 REBONDS OFFENSIFS (!!!) face aux Wizards.Un aspirateur à rebonds, du hustle interminable il a rendu fou Washington ! pic.twitter.com/bNxp0ssLtU
Fellow Frenchman Tidjane Salaün also contributed off the bench for Charlotte, logging 16 minutes against Washington. Salaün tallied 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal, shooting 2-of-6 overall, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.
On the opposing side, Alexandre Sarr experienced a tough individual matchup against Diabaté but still produced solid numbers for Washington. Sarr recorded 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 assist on 4-of-6 shooting, though he missed both of his three-point attempts and went 4-of-6 from the charity stripe as he continues to carve out his definitive role within the Wizards’ rotation. Bilal Coulibaly struggled to find his rhythm for Washington following a strong start to the campaign, managing just 3 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 assist on 1-of-5 shooting.
Gobert’s Rare Shooting Night and Mixed Performances Across the League
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert endured one of the most unusual stat lines of his career against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The quadruple DPOY was a force on the glass, matching his career-high with 20 total rebounds—including 8 on the offensive end—while adding 5 points entirely from the line, 2 passes décisives, 1 block, and 1 interception. However, Gobert suffered through an uncharacteristic 0-of-9 shooting night from the field.
Conversely, backup center Joan Beringer provided immense efficiency for Minnesota, converting all 6 of his field goal attempts to finish with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks against Cleveland.
Alex Sarr blocks Dennis Schröder for his 200th career block, and Moussa Diabaté rushes at the other end to block the 3-point attempt by Bub Carrington (with replays).Hornets and Wizards commentary. pic.twitter.com/FAH9VxCGR5
Zaccharie Risacher endured cold shooting against the Miami Heat but remained a heavy focus in his coach’s bench rotation. Playing 30 minutes, Risacher contributed 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assist, and 1 steal, though he shot just 2-of-13 from the floor and 1-of-6 from deep. Defensively, however, his disruptive presence kept him near the top of the league’s stocks leaderboard.
In Chicago, Noa Essengue earned 16 minutes of floor time against the Boston Celtics following a promising outing against the Milwaukee Bucks. Essengue struggled to convert his opportunities, finishing with 4 rebounds and 1 steal while shooting 0-of-5 overall. Ousmane Dieng saw limited action for his squad against the Indiana Pacers, logging just three minutes and missing a single three-point attempt.
