jaden mcdaniels

Jaden McDaniels punches wall, injures himself amid Timberwolves implosion

The Minnesota Timberwolves essentially turned their home arena into a boxing gym on Sunday, the final day of the NBA‘s regular season. First, Rudy Gobert threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson, then Jaden McDaniels hit a wall so hard he had to be taken out of the game.

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While exiting the floor, McDaniels slammed his fist into a wall incredibly hard. His dumb action cost him the rest of the contest, injuring his hand so badly that he was stapled to the bench with ice on his hand.

Below is the video:

Minnesota hosted the New Orleans Pelicans during their Sunday finale.

McDaniels injured his hand early in the game, playing just nine minutes. He didn’t score any points and recorded just one rebound. He was hit with two personal fouls early — which probably led to his frustration.

The Timberwolves are in the NBA’s play-in tournament with a chance to secure a spot in the playoffs. It’s unclear if McDaniels’ injury is serious or if he’ll miss more time because of the haymaker he delivered to the wall.

For the season, McDaniels averages 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for the Timberwolves. He’s played in 79 games this year.

Rudy Gobert Sent Home After Punching Kyle Anderson in Timberwolves Finale

There must be something in the water in Minneapolis. During a timeout in Sunday’s game, Gobert and Anderson got into a verbal argument. Things got physical when Gobert approached his teammate and threw a punch.

Players then got between the two to de-escalate the situation. But the damage had been done. After the punch, Minnesota sent Gobert home for the remainder of the game. It’s currently unclear if he’ll face a suspension for his actions.

Gobert threw the punch early in the game and left after playing just 13 minutes. He scored two points and grabbed three rebounds before heading to the locker room.

It’s certainly been one of the most bizarre games in the NBA in recent memory. It’s certainly not uncommon for teammates to get frustrated with each other — or for individuals to lose their cool during a game.

But to see multiple players leave a game for throwing punches — albeit for very different reasons — is something we haven’t seen in quite some time. Maybe the “Malice in the Palace?”

Minnesota better get its stuff together quickly, otherwise it could have a very short lifespan in this year’s postseason.

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