Woj: Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels Suffers Fractured Hand Injury After Punching Wall

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels suffered a fractured hand after punching a wall during Sunday's regular-season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

He was later ruled out for the rest of the game.

McDaniels missed his lone shot attempt in his nine minutes on the floor Sunday, contributing a rebound and a steal before being forced to spend the rest of the game on the bench. The Timberwolves had struggled a bit to start the game, trailing the Pelicans 55-47 at halftime.

The injury to McDaniels is compounded by an altercation on the bench between Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson in which the veteran center threw a punch at the young forward. Gobert was reportedly sent home from the game as a result the incident.

A third-year pro out of Washington, McDaniels has been a key member of the Timberwolves rotation this season. He's started all 79 of his appearances and entered Sunday with averages of 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from beyond the arc.

McDaniels is also regarded as one of the top defenders in the league thanks to his position versatility. The 6'9" wing takes pride in his ability to make an impact on that end of the floor by shutting down elite players.

"Defense, for me, is kinda like second nature. I just need to watch film, for real," McDaniels recently told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, later adding, "You can see their frustration in people when they can't go around you. I like to ruin their night."

Unfortunately, it looks like the Timberwolves are in danger of being without McDaniels for their upcoming postseason matchup.