The Minnesota Timberwolves have suspended center Rudy Gobert for Tuesday’s all-important play-in matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers after the Frenchman was seen taking a swing at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout on Sunday.
ESPN was first to report the suspension, adding that Gobert is expected to return to the team after Tuesday’s game, when Minnesota will either be playing in the playoffs or a second play-in matchup against the winner of Wednesday’s Oklahoma City-New Orleans game.
The team did take extenuating circumstances into consideration, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that Anderson repeatedly called Gobert a ‘bitch’ on Sunday, despite the fact that the 7-foot-2 center was playing with an injured back.
Team spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for confirmation.
Gobert was sent home after the incident, which took place in the second quarter of Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Anderson is accused of repeatedly calling Gobert a ‘bitch’ during Sunday’s win
Gobert (right) lunged at Anderson (left), allegedly, after being called a ‘bitch’ on Sunday
Gobert did sent a group-text apology to the team, according to teammate Mike Conley. On Sunday, coach Chris Finch declined to speculate about potential punishment for Gobert, who was playing with back spasms after being listed as questionable.
Gobert also apologized in a post on Twitter.
‘Emotions got the best of me today,’ wrote the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year. ‘I should not have reacted the way i did regardless of what was said.’
Anderson, a fiery but respected leader who has given the Wolves a big boost with his versatility and experience in his first season with the team, engaged in a heated discussion with Gobert about one of the many sequences that had gone wrong to that point while the team was in a huddle during a timeout late in the second quarter.
Gobert then ended the argument by raising his arm to strike Anderson in the upper chest with his hand, before the two were separated and Gobert was taken back to the locker room. Taurean Price also reacted to Gobert’s swing by jumping out of his seat to give Gobert a shove.
‘I think tempers just flared,’ Anderson said afterward. ‘That’s all.’
Kyle Anderson is held back by teammates after his on-court confrontation with Rudy Gobert
Anderson said he didn’t think the two would have trouble getting along moving forward.
‘We want to win games. It is what it is. It ain’t the first time someone has swung on me,’ he said.
President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly issued a statement confirming the Timberwolves decided to send Gobert home after the second-quarter flap.
‘His behavior on the bench was unacceptable, and we will handle the situation internally,’ said Connelly, whose first big move on the job last summer was to acquire Gobert from Utah in a blockbuster trade.
In exchange for Gobert, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Minnesota gave Utah four first-round picks between 2023 and 2029, a first-round pick from the 2022 draft, which was used on Rookie of the Year candidate Walker Kessler, along with Malik Beasley.
The Wolves beat the Pelicans 113-108 to finish in eighth place in the Western Conference and draw a play-in tournament matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers by moving ahead of New Orleans in the standings. They were headed to a loss and the lower seed with a lifeless first half.
Jaden McDaniels lost his temper as he punched a wall down the tunnel in game on Sunday
Wolves forward McDaniels will now be sidelined after reportedly fracturing his hand
Unfortunately for Minnesota, defensive stopper Jaden McDaniels put his availability in doubt by hitting a wall out of frustration. McDaniels reportedly fractured his wrist in the process.
The Wolves announced at halftime that Gobert and McDaniels would not play the rest of the way. McDaniels, it turned out, had hit a wall in the tunnel that leads to the locker room out of frustration in the first quarter and did not return. ESPN and The Athletic reported that McDaniels broke his hand.
‘Certainly immaturity has been one of our issues all season,’ Finch said.
The Wolves have long been adept at making situations harder on themselves. The easier games have actually been the hardest part for the Wolves this season, with a total of 16 losses to the bottom 10 teams in the league. Win just two more of those, and they would’ve avoided the play-in tournament. Four more wins, and they would have the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
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‘But those days are gone. We have to focus now on what we’ve got and moving forward,’ Finch said.
The blow put him out of Minnesota Timberwolves’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans
