Rudy Gobert Suspended for Timberwolves vs. Lakers Play-in After Kyle Anderson Punch

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be without center Rudy Gobert for Tuesday's play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Minnesota announced on Monday that Gobert has been suspended after throwing a punch at forward Kyle Anderson during Sunday's regular-season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium previously reported the news.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN shed more light on the decision to suspend Gobert (warning: explicit language):

There had been some uncertainty surrounding Gobert's status after the altercation during Sunday's regular-season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans. The two of them also reportedly got into an argument during halftime, and Gobert was sent home from the game.

The Timberwolves wound up earning a comeback victory over the Pelicans to secure the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Gobert later apologized for his actions on Twitter:

Wojnarowski reported that Gobert's availability for the play-in game was "up in the air" following the incident, and he also noted that the situation was further complicated because the 30-year-old had hurt his back in Saturday's game against the San Antonio Spurs. His injury reportedly was a point of contention in his argument with Anderson.

The Timberwolves acquired Gobert from the Utah Jazz in a blockbuster trade last offseason. The three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year averaged 13.6 points and 11.8 rebounds in 69 games, though his 1.4 blocks were a career-low and the first time in his 10 seasons that he averaged less than two blocks per game. He didn't have the defensive impact the team expected, as the Timberwolves gave up more points this year (115.9) than they did in 2021-22 (113.3).

Still, the Timberwolves will miss Gobert's presence on the floor against the Lakers. Minnesota needs all hands on deck to make it out of the play-in tournament for a second straight season.