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Tempers were flaring during a game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans this afternoon, but the hostility wasn’t between opposing teams.
During a first half timeout, as Timberwolves teammates Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson appeared to engage in a verbal altercation in the team huddle, Gobert threw a punch at Anderson, causing the two to be separated. The team announced Gobert was sent home after the incident and won’t return for the rest of the game.
Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert had to be held back after Gobert swung at Anderson in HEATED exchange pic.twitter.com/jvB9xawHNn
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 9, 2023
Adding more negative press on the Timberwolves’ locker room, Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels punched a wall later in the game and also won’t be returning due to a right hand injury.
Meanwhile...
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 9, 2023
Jaden McDaniels has been ruled out after punching a wall as he headed down the tunnel in Minnesota.
The Timberwolves are now without McDaniels and Rudy Gobert against the Pelicans.
@BallySportsNOpic.twitter.com/9NGue5NxLX
At the time of this story’s publication, Minnesota and New Orleans were playing a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter.
After pulling off a blockbuster trade to secure Gobert’s talents during the off-season, this hasn’t been the year Minnesota envisioned. The ninth seed in the Western Conference, the Timberwolves are bound for the play-in, exactly where they found themselves last season. The fit with Gobert and fellow big man Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t been ideal as the team has underperformed. This teammate scuffle in the regular season finale puts a sour exclamation point on a frustrating season.
If the team can’t salvage some momentum with a surprising postseason run, one may wonder how long Gobert’s time in Minnesota will last, especially if tensions have already reached the point of fisticuffs.
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