The Minnesota Timberwolves are highly likely to be without Rudy Gobert for their upcoming contest against the Philadelphia 76ers this Sunday.
The prominent center was assessed a flagrant infraction late in the second period of Friday’s match against the Dallas Mavericks, leading to an automatic one-game benching unless the decision is subsequently overturned. The specific action, where Gobert made contact with Marvin Bagley III’s face using his forearm during a scramble for a rebound, was initially judged a standard foul but was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 by game officials after video review.
Despite the foul, Gobert completed the game, a 122-111 victory for Minnesota, recording 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting, along with 17 rebounds (including a season-high 10 on the offensive glass) and three blocked shots.
This marks a repeat for Gobert, who previously missed a game due to his cumulative flagrant fouls, serving a suspension during a January 13 matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks following a flagrant call involving Victor Wembanyama. Currently, no other player in the NBA has accumulated more than four flagrant fouls during the ongoing season.
The French athlete has now been penalized with six flagrant fouls this season, accumulating a total of seven penalty points (where a Flagrant 1 contributes one point and a Flagrant 2 adds two points). Players who reach five or six flagrant points in a single season face a one-game suspension for a Flagrant 1 offense and a two-game suspension if they commit a Flagrant 2.
However, with Gobert now at seven points, he is in jeopardy of a two-game suspension should he commit any type of flagrant foul for the remainder of the current campaign. The T-Wolves management will be hoping to avert such a situation for their celebrated four-time Defensive Player of the Year.
