Gobert suspended 1 game for punching teammate, won't play vs. Lakers

The Minnesota Timberwolves suspended center Rudy Gobert for one game for punching teammate Kyle Anderson during Sunday's regular-season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans, the team confirmed Monday.

Gobert won't travel with the team for Tuesday's play-in round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers and is expected to return for a potential second play-in contest or the first round of the playoffs, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The team sent the Frenchman home at halftime Sunday after he struck Anderson in the chest during a timeout with four minutes left in the second quarter.

The argument arose when Anderson told Gobert to focus on shot-blocking, which prompted Gobert to respond by telling Anderson to get some rebounds, according to Wojnarowski.

Anderson then told Gobert to "Shut the f--k up, b----," and Gobert punched him.

The three-time All-Star later apologized for the incident 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 organization, and, particularly, to Kyle, who is someone that I truly love and respect as a teammate."

The T-Wolves face the Lakers on Tuesday in the first play-in game, a matchup between the seventh- and eighth-place finishers in the Western Conference. The winner will progress to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs, while the loser will play the winner of Wednesday's tilt between the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Minnesota is also likely to be without forward Jaden McDaniels for the trip to Los Angeles. McDaniels reportedly fractured his right hand after punching a wall at halftime following the incident in the team's huddle.