Clinching a spot in the NBA playoffs just got a lot harder for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team announced on Monday that their star center Rudy Gobert had been given a one-game suspension and won’t be part of the team for the Play-In tournament game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Gobert was suspended for an incident he caused in the regular season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans. The three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year got into a heated exchange with teammate Kyle Anderson during a second quarter timeout and ended up hitting him in the chest. He was sent home after the altercation.
Reportedly, Gobert apologized shortly after the incident, and the incident with Anderson isn’t expected to cause long-term damage to team chemistry. Also, sources close to the team say that even if Gobert wasn’t suspended for the Lakers game, he might not have played due to back issues he has been struggling with lately.
Gobert is playing in his first season with the Timberwolves after coming to Minnesota in a blockbuster trade from the Utah Jazz. He has averaged 13.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in 70 games this season.
The bad news didn’t end here for the Timberwolves, as they also lost power forward Jaden McDaniels after the Pelicans game. McDaniels punched a wall in the tunnel and fractured his hand, which will rule him out for the remainder of the season.
If the Wolves beat the Lakers in the Play-In matchup, they will lock in the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs. If they lose, they will face the winner of the game between the Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder for a chance to get the eighth seed.
