Rudy Gobert should expect to hear from the NBA league office in the near future.
The Timberwolves star took a not-so-subtle jab at referee Scott Foster on Friday during the University of Minnesota’s 113-104 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That happened when Gobert was ejected for a foul near the end of regulation after being called for his sixth infraction.
Before leaving the court, Gobert rubbed his fingers together in a money gesture, and Foster went to the scorer’s box, as if to hint that the referee might be taking.
Foster did not see Gobert’s actions, but official Natalie Sago did and slapped Gobert with a technical.
After the game, Gobert doubled down on his actions.
“I’ll try my best again,” Gobert said. “I’ll be the bad guy. I’ll pay the fine, but I think it’s going to have a negative effect on our game. I know the stakes and everything is getting bigger and bigger, but it shouldn’t feel that way. ”
The problem was that a technical foul tied the game for the Cavaliers and forced overtime.
Timberwolves assistant coach Mika Nori didn’t forget that either. He was filling in for head coach Chris Finch, who was sick Friday night just before tipoff.
“Honestly, a technical foul 27 seconds into the game is unacceptable,” Nori said. “That’s Rudy, but we have to be smart. He automatically created the visuals. He was clearly frustrated — so were both teams — but we have to be smarter. There must be.”
Gobert later admitted he had to keep his emotions in check.
“I think my reaction was genuine, but it wasn’t the time to react that way,” the three-time All-Star said. “It cost my team the game. It was an immature reaction.”
But Gobert still insists he was wrong about Friday’s officiating.
“It’s not just one phone call,” he said. “Everyone makes mistakes, and of course it’s frustrating when they happen over and over again.”
Gobert finished the night with seven points and a team-high 17 rebounds.
Compounding his disqualification was the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Timberwolves announced Thursday night that Towns will undergo surgery next week to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Minnesota expects Towns, a four-time All-Star, to be sidelined for at least the next four weeks.
In addition to injuries, the Timberwolves loss, along with Oklahoma City’s 107-100 win over the Miami Heat on Friday, put the Thunder a half-game ahead of Minnesota for the Western Conference’s best record.
— with AP
