Rudy Gobert suspended after throwing punch at Timberwolves teammate
The Minnesota Timberwolves suspended center Rudy Gobert from Tuesday's play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers after Gobert attempted to punch teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The team sent Gobert home after the altercation in the second quarter of Minnesota's game against New Orleans on Sunday, when the flustered Timberwolves were trailing by 12 points.
“Emotions got the best of me today,” he tweeted, adding he “should not have reacted the way [he] did regardless of what was said.”
The tweet said he wanted to apologize to fans, the organization and, “particularly to Kyle,” someone Gobert said he truly loves and respects as a teammate.
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The Timberwolves confirmed Gobert will be suspended for just one game. He will be eligible to play should the Timberwolves advance to a second play-in game in Minnesota on Friday or when they begin a playoff series.
Despite the controversy, the Timberwolves went on to beat the Pelicans 113-108, securing eighth place in the Western Conference and drawing a play-in tournament matchup with the Lakers.
That gives them two chances to win a play-in game to qualify for the playoffs. If they beat the Lakers, they'll get the No. 7 seed and face Memphis in the first round. If they lose, they'll host the winner of the New Orleans-Oklahoma City game on Friday night for the No. 8 seed and a first-round date with Denver.
The Wolves also lost forward Jaden McDaniels on Sunday to a hand injury after he hit a wall in the tunnel that leads to the locker room after being called for his second foul in the first quarter. Another key player, backup center Naz Reid, is done for the season with a broken wrist from a fall on the court in the game on March 29 at Phoenix.