When the Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in tournament on Tuesday night, Rudy Gobert will not be on the floor. The Timberwolves have suspended Gobert one game after he appeared to throw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout huddle in the regular season finale on Sunday.
Timberwolves suspend Rudy Gobert vs. Lakers in play-in tournament for punching Kyle Anderson
Gobert has been suspended for the play-in tournament game against the Lakers.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Gobert was sent home from the game following the punch, and did not play in the second half. The winner of the Lakers-Timberwolves game will get the No. 7 seed in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, which means a first round series with the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies. The loser of the Lakers-Wolves game will face the winner of the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game for the right to the No. 8 seed in the West playoffs.
The Wolves said Gobert will return for their next game, whether they beat the Lakers or face the Pelicans-Thunder winner. Here’s the moment that got Gobert suspended:
According to multiple reports, Anderson and Gobert into an argument in the huddle after a rough start to a critically important game, where the winner of Pelicans-Wolves was set to get the No. 8 seed.
Here’s how Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN framed the argument that led to the punch:
Gobert apologized later in the day:
Lakers vs. Timberwolves play-in tournament start date, TV times, and more
Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Date: Tuesday, April 11
Time: 10 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Stakes: Winner gets No. 7 seed and first round series with Grizzlies. Loser faces Pelicans-Thunder winner for No. 8 seed.
We’ll update this story as it develops.
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