The Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert and Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso had a little bit of squabble just before their teams headed to the locker room during Sunday's game in the Twin Cities.
Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert not happy with Alex Caruso
The skirmish was seemingly sparked when Caruso inadvertently (?) hit the Timberwolves center while boxing out for a rebound just before the time expired in the second quarter of the contest. An irate Gobert turned at Caruso immediately and had some words for the Bulls player. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed as players from both parties tried to get in between Gobert and Caruso before anything devolved into something more serious.
After the game, Gobert vented out his frustration.
“I had a knee injury a couple years ago on the same play and missed a month because someone ran into my knee,” Gobert said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“I hope they look at this, because if they don't hold people accountable, I'm gonna hold them accountable myself,” Gobert added.
Caruso is known for being one of the hardest-working guys in the league, and he likely just wanted to get the rebound minus the intent of hurting Gobert or anyone else.
However, he probably should have been more aware of the game's situation during that moment. The clock had already run out in the second period and it did not seem Gobert even had any chance of getting the ball as the shot airballed way past the basket. That being said, one say that Caruso was acting on his instincts.
At the end of the day, the Bulls defeated Gobert and the Timberwolves to the tune of a 109-101 score. That snapped Minnesota's four-game win streak and also resulted in a clean 2-0 sweep for the Bulls in the regular-season series versus the Western Conference powerhouse Timberwolves.
Gobert finished the Bulls game with 19 points and 19 rebounds to go with an assist, two steals, and a block, while shooting 8/9 from the field in 38 minutes. So far this season, the 31-year-old Gobert, who is playing in his second season with the Timberwolves, is averaging 13.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per outing while shooting 65.7 percent from the field.
Caruso, on the other hand, muscled out 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals, while shooting 7/8 (all 3-pointers) from the floor in 35 minutes of duty for the Bulls, who improved to 36-39 and increased their chances of winning a spot in the Play-in Tournament at the very least.
Minnesota still vying for the top seed in the Western Conference
Despite the loss to the Bulls, the Timberwolves are virtually assured of a spot in the NBA postseason. At the moment, only the Oklahoma City Thunder and the reigning league champions — No. 1 and No. 2 in the Western Conference standings, respectively — have secured playoff berths in the West.
With only eight games remaining for the Timberwolves in the regular season, they can still add more wins to strengthen their bid for the top seed in the West, though, that is no longer solely in their control. But winning out their remaining assignments would get the Timberwolves an automatic No. 2 seed while winning five more games would get them at least the third seed.
Minnesota will take a rest Monday before getting back to action on Tuesday at home against the visiting Houston Rockets.
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