Rudy Gobert was horrible in his last game of the regular season. The Minnesota Timberwolves hosted the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday and played a game that had major playoff implications. However, the Timberwolves center was ejected from the game.
With 4:23 left in the second quarter, the 7-foot-1 center hit Kyle Anderson, his teammate. The incident occurred during a timeout and the center back was sent home for it.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Gobert and Anderson were mad at each other for playing poorly. The 30-year-old big man then went too far in hitting his teammate, which was obviously highly unusual.
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Rudy Gobert escalated a verbal confrontation to a physical altercation
During the second quarter timeout, the Minnesota Timberwolves were down 12 points. Kyle Anderson was reportedly upset with Rudy Gobert and his defense, so he told him to block some shots.
“Anderson saying to Rudy Gobert, ‘Hey, why don’t you block some shots?'” Adrian Wojnarowski said. “Gobert telling him, ‘Why don’t you take a rebound?'”
The situation was made even worse when the substitute striker called Gobert an offensive word, which ended in a physical altercation.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch,” Anderson allegedly told Gobert.
Gobert was sent home after spending just 13 minutes on the ground. He scored two points and grabbed three rebounds, but the Timberwolves were minus-14 with him on the floor.
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Minnesota ended up winning the game by five points, 113-108, and clinching the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Gobert reportedly apologized to his teammates in a group chat, but he may face serious consequences for the incident.
The Timberwolves won the fight, but they may have lost the war. While their win over the Pelicans was huge, they will face the LA Lakers in their first play-in game on Tuesday.
The Lakers have been one of the best teams in the league since the trade deadline and are the favorites to win the game. Considering the Timberwolves are dealing with chemistry issues, they may end up getting knocked out of the gatehouse tournament.
If the Timberwolves beat the Lakers, they will advance to the playoffs and play the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. However, if they lose, they will have to beat the OKC Thunder or the New Orleans Pelicans to make the playoffs.
You may be interested in reading: Did the Lakers make it to the playoffs? Analyzing the team’s position before the postseason
Minnesota will probably also be without Jaden McDaniels. The 22-year-old striker hit the wall during the game, injuring his hand. Because of this, he may be away for a few days.