Rudy Gobert was sent home by the Minnesota Timberwolves after he lashed out at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in their regular season finale Sunday.
Cameras were fixed on one of the first-half timeouts and caught the fiery altercation on the bench in the second quarter of the New Orleans Pelicans game.
Center Gobert and forward Anderson were seen in a heated discussion on the sideline as tempers flared.
Rudy Gobert was sent home by the Minnesota Timberwolves after he lashed out at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in their regular season finale Sunday.
Cameras were fixed on one of the first-half timeouts and caught the fiery altercation on the bench in the second quarter of the New Orleans Pelicans game.
Center Gobert and forward Anderson were seen in a heated discussion on the sideline as tempers flared.
Anderson looked to retaliate but other teammates and coaching staff members got in between the pair to break them up as Minnesota trailed by 12 points with 4:23 left before halftime.
Anderson was held back and then eventually walked away as the klaxon sounded for the end of the timeout. Gobert was escorted to the locker room.
The center was subbed out of the game at that moment with Anderson taking his place on the court.
'I think tempers just flared,' Anderson said postgame. 'That's all.'
'We want to win games. It is what it is. It ain't the first time someone has swung on me.'
Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said in a statement: 'His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will handle the situation internally.'
The Timberwolves found themselves down at halftime to the Pelicans with victory meaning they could jump up to eighth and get a better seeding.
As the second half got underway Minnesota announced Gobert was out for the rest of the game as it was widely reported he was sent home following the incident.
Gobert was fined $25,000 last month for blasting 'bulls***' officiating following defeat by the Phoenix Suns.
Gobert made headlines during the coronavirus pandemic while playing for the Utah Jazz.
He was filmed jokingly touching microphones and tape recorders at a press conference before testing positive for COVID-19. He apologized for his actions.
Moments before Gobert was ruled out, Jaden McDaniels was also sidelined after punching a wall down the tunnel.
The tetchy Timberwolves came back to win 113-108. They will visit the No. 7 Lakers in a play-in game Tuesday night.
