WATCH: Rudy Gobert loses head, PUNCHES teammate Kyle Anderson for calling him a ‘b***h’

Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert punches teammate Kyle Anderson in a heated game against the Pelicans.

WATCH: Rudy Gobert loses head, PUNCHES teammate Kyle Anderson for calling him a ‘b***h’

Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson (Via NBA.com)

The Minnesota Timberwolves had a lot on the line on Sunday night as they faced the New Orleans Pelicans in their final regular-season game. They were fighting for a better position in the Western Conference standings but also had to deal with internal conflicts after an argument between Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson boiled over dramatically.

In the second quarter, All-Star center Rudy Gobert quarreled with forward Kyle Anderson during a timeout. Anderson reportedly called Gobert a “b–ch”, which prompted Gobert to throw a punch at Anderson’s left shoulder. The incident was caught on camera and quickly went viral on social media.

YouTube video

Gobert was immediately restrained by his teammates and staff while Anderson tried to charge at him. The Timberwolves announced that Gobert was out for the rest of the game and sent him home at halftime. Gobert did not speak to the media after the game and will likely face disciplinary action from the league and the team for his actions.

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Anderson, who got more playing time in the second half, said he was surprised by Gobert’s reaction and did not mean to disrespect him. He said he was just trying to motivate him and hold him accountable for his mistakes on defense.

“I don’t know what got into him. I was just telling him to play harder and stop letting (Jonas) Valanciunas get easy buckets. He took it the wrong way and swung at me. That’s not cool. We’re supposed to be teammates, not enemies,” Anderson said.

Anderson added that he was willing to move past the incident and focus on the playoffs.

“We still have a lot of work to do. We can’t let this distract us from our goal. We’ll have to stick together and play as a team. I’m ready to forgive and forget, as long as he apologizes and learns from this,” Anderson said.

Gobert issued an apology on Twitter, writing, “Emotions got the best of me today. I should not have reacted the way I did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organisation and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that I truly love and respect as a teammate.”

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After Rudy Gobert’s exit, Jaden McDaniels fractures hand with wall punch

Jaden Mcdaniels
Jaden Mcdaniels (Via ATT Yahoo)

As if losing Gobert was not enough, the Timberwolves also lost another key player due to a self-inflicted injury. Rookie forward Jaden McDaniels, a defensive standout for the team, punched a wall in frustration after missing a shot in the third quarter. He fractured his right hand and was ruled out for the game.

McDaniels was seen holding his hand with a towel as he walked back to the locker room. He did not return to the bench and was taken to a hospital for further evaluation. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that McDaniels could miss several weeks with the injury, which could jeopardize his availability for the playoffs.

Despite all the drama and adversity, the Timberwolves pulled off a 113-108 win over the Pelicans, thanks to a stellar performance by Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony Towns. The second-year guard scored 26 points, including ten in the fourth quarter, to lead his team to victory. Edwards also showed leadership by standing up for Anderson after Gobert’s punch and calming down his teammates after McDaniels’ injury. KAT, on the other hand, had 30 points in the 36 minutes he played,

With the win, the Timberwolves clinched the No. 8 seed in the West, which means they will face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in a play-in game on Tuesday. The winner of that game will advance to face the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. The Timberwolves hope to have Gobert and McDaniels back for their playoff run, but they will have to overcome their internal issues and injuries first.

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