Report: T-Wolves Felt Rudy Gobert ‘Had to Be Disciplined’ for Kyle Anderson Punch

The Minnesota Timberwolves could have used Rudy Gobert during Tuesday’s play-in tournament loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but they reportedly felt like they had little choice when deciding whether to suspend him.

“As disappointed as the Wolves were in Gobert’s act, there was some concern as they debated how to handle it that Gobert would be viewed as the lone culprit in the confrontation,” Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported.

“… They knew Gobert had to be disciplined for his behavior. But there were also conversations behind the scenes about [Kyle] Anderson’s conduct toward a teammate who was trying to play through debilitating back spasms.”

Sunday’s regular-season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans went anything but according to plan for the Timberwolves. They sent Gobert home after he took a swing at Anderson in the huddle, and Jaden McDaniels fractured his hand by punching a wall.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Gobert became upset and threw the punch after Anderson told him to, “Shut the f–k up, b—h” during their back-and-forth in the huddle.

Gobert apologized on Twitter and said Anderson “is someone that i truly love and respect as a teammate.”

Still, the end result of the suspension and McDaniels’ injury was a shorthanded Minnesota bunch that blew a double-digit lead to the Lakers in Wednesday’s game.

Its season will be on the line during Friday’s play-in tournament contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the loser going home and the winner clinching the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed.