What did Rudy Gobert have to say about Draymond Green’s chokehold in Timberwolves vs Warriors?

With no less than three players ejected from Tuesday night’s game between the Minneosta Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors, one could say that it was an eventful game. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that some players still have a few things to say.

What happened between the Timberwolves & Warriors?

If you caught our previous report, then you will know that during Tuesday evening’s NBA In-Season Tournament game between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves, things got somewhat out of hand and quite early on to boot. Just two minutes into the first quarter, three players were ejected following a scuffle. Things kicked off with Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, both of whom could be seen holding each other’s jerseys, which in turn led to full-on grappling at half-court.

At that point, Wolves center Rudy Gobert grabbed Thompson from behind, a move which Warriors forward Draymond Green took exception to as he proceeded to put Gobert in a headlock. Ultimately, Thompson, McDaniels, and Green were all ejected, but Gobert, apparently deemed a peacemaker did not face any penalty. Needless to say, a number of the Warriors’ players were not in agreement with the referee’s decision where Gobert was concerned, including head coach Steve Kerr, who stated that “Rudy had his hands on Klay’s neck,” an act that he believes precipitated Green’s chokehold.

What has Rudy Gobert said?

While it’s not surprising that Gobert tried to explain that he simply wanted to break up the fight, he did give a rather interesting - albeit opinion-based - insight into Green’s actions as he explained that he believed the Warriors’ big man wanted to get himself ejected because Stephen Curry had already been ruled out of the game with a knee injury. You can see Gobert’s comments below:

“I went to try to disconnect the situation between Jaden and Klay, and then I just felt someone grabbing me,” Gobert said postgame. “My first thought was, I’m not going to fight, I need to be in this game to help my team. So I showed the ref I had my hands up and I just waited until the situation was over. Nothing more than that. It wasn’t really enough of a choke for me to sleep. I just kept my hands up and waited until it was over. It’s kind of funny because before the game I was telling myself Steph is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try to get ejected. Every time Steph doesn’t play, he doesn’t want to play without his guy Steph, so he’s doing anything to get ejected. It’s all good.”

“Just clown behavior. I’m proud of myself for being the bigger man, again and again. It doesn’t even deserve me putting my hands on him. My team needed me tonight, so I wanted to keep my cool and not make the situation worse. I do hope the league is going to do what needs to be done, because that’s just clown behavior. There’s not much to say, it’s clown behavior.” It’s worth mentioning that Gobert also added that he thought Green wanted to “take him out”, before seemingly taking a jab at him. “If he knew how to choke it could have been way worse,” Gobert said.

OK, but how did the Warriors vs Timberwolves go?

Despite a concerted effort from the Dubs, it was the T’Wolves who ultimately came away with a tight 104-101 win. For his part, Gobert contributed nine points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks. The Warriors on the other hand, had to rely on rookie Brandin Podziemski who dropped 23 points and center Dario Saric who gave a further 21. Such is life when three of your best players are off the court. As for what happens now, there has been no official word from the league as to what if any punishment shall be dealt out, but we can safely assume it a decision will be forthcoming.