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Everything was clicking for the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Sacramento Kings—until it suddenly wasn’t. In the middle of a dominant performance, Rudy Gobert unexpectedly left the game, creating immediate concern despite no apparent injury.

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With just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, Gobert exited the floor and did not return. The Timberwolves later announced that the star center was ruled out for the rest of the game due to “personal reasons,” though no further details were provided. At the time of his departure, Minnesota held a 63–54 lead over Sacramento.

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Rudy Gobert was on a great run too. The Wolves big man had seven points on a 3-for-4 shooting, and 1-of-6 from the free throw line, 12 rebounds, three assists and one block in 20 minutes by then. He had an insane put back slam that put the Wolves 54-59 in the lead right before his exit.

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However, Gobert’s absence didn’t make much of a difference to the team. The Wolves had a decisive 103-117 win over the Kings without Gobert.

There’s no explanation yet about what happened to make him leave the game perfectly healthy. But without any details, Gobert’s teammates and the fans were left equally confused.

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Why Did Rudy Gobert Leave the Game?

Minnesota also didn’t have Anthony Edwards. He’s missing his second straight game with soreness in his right foot. Mike Conley missed his third straight game with an Achilles injury.

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On a night like this, when Gobert was doing great, fans are confused by the abrupt exit. Speculation ran rampant about the nature of the personal issue that would demand a mid-game exit. The cynical aren’t even convinced it could be that serious.

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Nevertheless, Gobert’s teammates are backing him. Reporters at the game claimed that his teammates said they hope everything is okay for the big man. That seems to indicate even they don’t know the reason yet.

This isn’t the first time a development in his personal life has superseded a game. Gobert missed Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets last year for the birth of his first child.

Some speculated whether that was the reason he left the game tonight. But that’s still groundless at this point.

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Despite the injury troubles and ejections, the Wolves have managed to stay afloat. They’ve won six of their last seven games. Gobert has not missed a single game before this one.

Going into Sunday’s game, he was averaging 11.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 blocked shots with splits of 74.5 percent shooting from the field and 54.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

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Without any clues, it’s hard to say if Gobert will miss his first game of the season against the Grizzlies on Wednesday. We’d likely have to wait for Chris Finch to comment on his status after the game.

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Written by

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Caroline John

3,301 Articles

Caroline John is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports, specializing in league comparables. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism and Communication and brings eight years of experience to the sports desk. Caroline made a mark in NBA media by covering the life of Know more

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Tanay Sahai

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