Whether or not the Minnesota Timberwolves expected to win the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their third matchup of the 2022-23 NBA season, there was no way that anyone could have expected the typically cool and collected All-Star center Rudy Gobert would be given the heave-ho. And you could have gotten plenty of takers if you had the fore-knowledge to predict that ejection would happen with 9:22 remaining in the second quarter of their Saturday Night special.
You can check out the events leading up to the ejection by clicking this link here.
By the time he headed to the locker room, Gobert had six points and four rebounds but the Timberwolves trailed by a score of 37-30. Oklahoma City Thunder Kenrich Williams had just made a driving layup and fell to the floor. Rudy Gobert, trying to protect the rim, landed on the basketball court and got tangled up with Williams’s legs, following him to the court. As Kenrich Williams got to his feet, Gobert returned the trip, drawing an angry response. Of course, the Refs were on it as the benches cleared, assigning a Technical Foul to Williams.
But for his part, Minnesota Timberwolves Rudy Gobert drew a Flagrant Foul Type 2 and the automatic ejection. This was the first time in Gobert’s career that he was ejected from a game. Was it worth it? Well, that seemed to fire the Timberwolves’ offense back to life.
Shortly after the foul shots were sorted out, the Minnesota Timberwolves offense sprang to life with a 12-0 run that enabled the Timberwolves to retake the lead by a 48-47 score with four minutes remaining in the half.
Without Karl-Anthony Towns (out due to calf strain) and the ejection of Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves introduced Kyle Anderson at the five. The Timberwolves, now without a size advantage, began to wilt as the Thunder began to attack the basket. At halftime, the Timberwolves had fallen back to a 63-57 deficit. The Thunder had the advantage in nearly every category as the teams headed off to the locker room.
Minnesota Timberwolves SG Anthony Edwards led all scorers at the half with 18 points. Timberwolves big Naz Reid led all in rebounds, hauling in eight at the mid-mark. While this game is still being contested, the Timberwolves will likely stick to a tighter rotation. But you have to wonder: Is this the game where Timberwolves fans see some action from C Luka Garza or PF Josh Minott? Stay tuned . . .