The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA Play-In Tournament, but they’ll be doing so without two key starters. After Jaden McDaniels sustained a fractured right hand in the final game of the regular season, Rudy Gobert was handed a one-game suspension for an altercation with teammate Kyle Anderson.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Gobert was sent home during the Timberwolves’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans after striking Anderson during a timeout. Gobert has since been listed on the injury report for a team suspension and did not travel with the team to Los Angeles. He is expected to return to the Timberwolves after serving his suspension.
The conflict between Gobert and Anderson reportedly started when Anderson instructed Gobert to block some shots, to which Gobert replied that Anderson should grab a rebound. Tensions escalated when Anderson told Gobert to “Shut the f— up, b—.” Although the two players were separated during the heated exchange, sources say that the animosity carried over to the halftime locker room, with Anderson challenging Gobert and stating, “I’ll knock your a— out.”
Following the incident, Gobert took to Twitter to apologize, stating that emotions got the best of him and expressing regret for his actions. He specifically apologized to Anderson, who he described as someone he “truly loves and respects as a teammate.” Mike Conley, another Timberwolves player, confirmed that Gobert had also sent a text message apology to the team’s group chat.
The Timberwolves’ match against the Lakers is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The game will be broadcast on TNT and can be live-streamed on Sling TV. Depending on the outcome, the Timberwolves could earn the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and face the Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs, or move on to the second round of the Play-In Tournament to compete for the No. 8 seed against either the Pelicans or the Oklahoma City Thunder.