Rudy Gobert’s actions on Sunday have consequences, as the Minnesota Timberwolves will suspend him for one game after hitting teammate Kyle Anderson on the bench during a timeout.
ESPN reports that Gobert did not travel with the team to Los Angeles, where the Timberwolves will face the Lakers as the No. 8 seed in the NBA play-in tournament on Tuesday.
While playing the New Orleans Pelicans in the final game of the regular season on Sunday, Gobert and Anderson were seen getting into a heated verbal exchange that quickly turned physical when Gobert lunged at Anderson and punched him in the chest.
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Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots as Dorian Finney-Smith #28 and Cameron Johnson #2 of the Brooklyn Nets defend during the game at Barclays Center on April 4, 2023 in New York City. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Anderson tried to get back at Gobert, but the players and coaches broke things up. Go ahead Taurean Prince jumped out of his seat and immediately pushed Gobert away.
Disputes occasionally occur on NBA benches, but ESPN said Gobert lost his temper when Anderson reportedly said, “Shut the fuck up, b—-.” They were arguing about playing on the floor.
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Gobert was later sent home after the argument spilled over into the dressing room at half time. Anderson apparently told Gobert, “I’m going to knock you out” during the argument.
Gobert would later publicly apologize on Twitter.
“Emotions got the best of me today,” she wrote. “I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did, regardless of what was said. I want to apologize to the fans, the organization and particularly Kyle, who is someone I truly love and respect as a teammate.”
Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves warms up before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Target Center on April 9, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
“We’re not proud of that behavior from anyone,” head coach Chris Finch added, via The Athletic. “We haven’t really gotten too deep into the root of the problem. But the guys were just frustrated. We weren’t playing well and we weren’t sharing the ball. They were beating us in all the small areas.”
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Gobert’s absence from the inning game against the Lakers will be significant, as he is the team’s starting center. His ability to grab rebounds and play solid defense at the rim will surely be missed.
The Timberwolves are also without Jaden McDaniels, who broke his right hand hitting a wall in the tunnel after in-game frustrations got the better of him.
Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half of an NBA game at the Footprint Center on March 29, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Timberwolves 107-100. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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While Gobert will be able to return to the Wolves if they lose on Tuesday night, the loser of that game has a chance to play for the eighth and final conference seed against the winner of matchup No. 9 and No. 10. McDaniels did not will be available.
