WATCH: Rudy Gobert Gets Sent Home After Punching T-Wolves Teammate

Kyle Anderson of the Minnesota Timberwolves was the recipient of a punch following an argument with Rudy Gobert in their game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
Reuters

KEY POINTS

Rudy Gobert creates unwanted heat after throwing a punch at Kyle Anderson during a timeout
The Minnesota Timberwolves will resolve the Gobert-Anderson issue internally
The Timberwolves will need to get act together before they face the Lakers on Tuesday

The Minnesota Timberwolves clinched the eighth seed in the NBA play-in tournament and will have their hands full when they tangle with the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the Purple and Gold pretty much a different team, the T-Wolves will need everyone to be on the same page, particularly Rudy Gobert.

The French center is one guy who can make life hard for the Lakers’ Anthony Davis. In the same way, he can also hurt any team on the offensive end–particularly with his second-chance shots.

However, Gobert is now under a lot of heat following an unusual scene when the Timberwolves won over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, April 9.

Although Minnesota won, 113-108, it was not spared from drama.

In the second quarter of that game, Gobert got into a heated exchange with teammate Kyle Anderson. A video clip of that incident was shared by Chris Haynes on Twitter.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the argument stemmed from the team’s defensive and rebounding efforts.

At some point, Anderson told Gobert to “shut up,” but the three-time All-Star appeared to be in a foul mood and threw a punch that landed on the 29-year-old forward’s chest.

The T-Wolves opted to send Gobert home following the incident. Per team president Tim Connelly, they will handle the incident internally.

It was also added by NBA veteran Mike Conley that the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year had apologized for his actions in the team’s group chat.

However, they have yet to thresh out the issue but Conley believes they can resolve it, stressing that they are all “grown men.”

“We’ll speak about it and move on,” the veteran guard stated. “We’re grown men.”

It technically becomes the second time that Gobert has gotten himself into trouble using his hands off the court.

It will be recalled that the 30-year-old player drew flak in March 2020 after he tested positive for COVID-19 and then jokingly touched all the microphones and recorders in front of him on a table at a media gathering.

At the time, Gobert was apparently not aware of the serious aftermath of his actions. B

ut that incident also triggered an alleged rift between him and Donovan Mitchell who has since moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Gobert and the Timberwolves need to resolve and set things straight as they prepare to battle the surging Lakers.

Both teams collide on Tuesday, April 11 at the Crypto.com Arena with the tip-off set for 10:00 PM ET.