Rudy Gobert Sent Home After Punching Kyle Anderson in Timberwolves Huddle

Minnesota's Rudy Gobert was sent home in the middle of Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans after taking a swing at Timberwolves teammate Kyle Anderson.

"We made the decision to send Rudy Gobert home after the incident in the second quarter," Timberwolves president Tim Connelly said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. "His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will handle the situation internally."

A heated discussion during a second-quarter timeout ended with Gobert throwing a punch toward Anderson.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on NBA Countdown that the conflict started over a discussion where Anderson told Gobert to block some shots, and Gobert told Anderson to rebound, before getting more intense from there.

Gobert was "escorted to the back" following the incident and was sent home for the remainder of the game by the team, according to Timberwolves PR.

According to Krawczynski and The Athletic colleague Shams Charania, tempers continued to flare in the locker room at halftime. Per Krawczynski and Charania, Gobert and Anderson "confronted" each other at halftime, with Anderson saying, "I'll knock your ass out."

Mike Conley Jr. helped calm things down in the locker room, according to Krawczynski and Charania.

After the game, Conley revealed, per Krawczynski, that Gobert had apologized for the altercation in a group chat. Gobert also issued a public apology on Twitter:

Of note, Wojnarowski reported that Gobert "nearly" didn't play against New Orleans after hurting his back on Saturday.

The Star Tribune's Chris Hine asked Gobert about his thoughts on Anderson's leadership Saturday, the day before the altercation. Previous teammates have mentioned Anderson speaks bluntly to his teammates.

"Kyle wants to win, and sometimes he's a little aggressive in the way he talks, but I don't take it personally," Gobert said Saturday. "I receive it in a positive way because it comes from a place of wanting me to be the best Rudy I can be and wanting us to win."

Minnesota traded a host of players and picks, including Malik Beasley, for Gobert this past summer, two days before signing Anderson as a free agent. The two have developed chemistry on the court as the season progressed.

With Sunday's 113-108 victory, the Timberwolves will hit the road to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in a play-in game.