Rudy Gobert seemed to express some hope that the NBA would rescind the flagrant foul he accrued in Friday’s win over Dallas. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t happen.
Although the Timberwolves appealed the flagrant, Gobert was suspended for Sunday’s game against Philadelphia for exceeding the season-long allotment of flagrant foul “points.” This is the second game Gobert has missed this season for the same reason.
The penalty only gets more harsh from here. From now until the end of the regular season, every flagrant foul Gobert picks up will result in a two-game suspension.
That’s not an ideal situation for a Minnesota team in the midst of a tightly-contested Western Conference playoff race in which seeds No. 3-7 are all firmly in play with just south of a third of the campaign remaining.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said it’s up to Gobert “to manage” the fouls, though both player and coach say it will be difficult. Friday’s flagrant foul was the result of Gobert flailing his arm back into the face of Mavericks big man Marvin Bagley III as the two jostled for rebounding position.
Finch thought the call was “a bit harsh.”
“Seemingly every time Rudy gets clocked in the head and the face, which is quite a bit, it’s always just, ‘Ah that’s just two guys (battling), play on. It’s nothing,’ ” Finch said. “But yet the other way around, we seem to be penalized for it. … I didn’t see a flagrant there or the unnecessary part of it.”
Gobert repeated his assertion that he gets hit in the head almost every game with opponents facing no such penalties.
“Just because I’m 7-foot doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt when I get hit in the head. I’m close to a superhuman, but it doesn’t mean that I am,” Gobert said. “It wasn’t a dangerous play. It was just part of the rebounding. (Bagley) runs at me with elbows up. It was a very physical box-out. I’m fine with that. But just, either we be consistent or we just let us play. When they’re too harsh on that, it penalizes the team.”
At some point, it’s on Gobert to find a way to play within the boundaries set by officials this season. If the way the game isn’t officiated won’t change — and it’s apparent it won’t — then it’s Gobert who must adapt.
If he doesn’t, his team may ultimately suffer when it matters most.
“It’s really hard. It’s really hard. Because when you look back at some of the flagrants I got, two of them were contesting 3-point shots. One of them with (Oklahoma City guard Alex) Caruso, I’m contesting a dunk. I’m actually going up trying to block the shot,” he said. “Maybe one or two of those was very flagrant, by the book. But none of them were very severe.
“So, it’s really tough. Guys are coming at me every night, hitting me in the face, grabbing me. They purposely foul me. That was like five times (Friday). Run into my knees trying to box me out. All these plays are dangerous, and I’m fine with it, you know?
“But it’s really hard when you get super penalized, and people can do anything without accountability on me. So, hopefully they look at that and make it a little more fair.”
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) reacts to a call in overtime of an NBA basketball game. against the New Orleans Pelicans in New Orleans, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
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