Rudy Gobert fined $75K for money gesture in Game 4 loss to Nuggets

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MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The NBA announced Tuesday that Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has been fined $75,000 for making an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture that questions the integrity of the league and its game officials.

It happened during Game 4, a 115-107 Timberwolves’ loss to the Nuggets at Target Center that evens the series 2-2 as the two teams square off in Denver Tuesday night. The Game 5 winner is in the driver’s seat to clinch the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

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Gobert made a money gesture with his hand during the fourth quarter after being whistled for a foul on an offensive rebound from a Karl-Anthony Towns miss. He was also called for an offensive foul on the previous possession.

It’s the second time this season Gobert has been fined for the gesture. Back on March 8, he did it in a game at Cleveland after fouling out, and also received a technical foul. Gobert was fined $100,000 for that incident and post game comments.

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The NBA said this most recent fine takes into account Gobert’s history of improper conduct toward game officials.

The officiating has been a hot topic with the Timberwolves in the NBA Playoffs. Jamal Murray threw a towel and a heating pad onto the floor in the first half from the bench during game action. He was not assessed a technical foul, and was not suspended, but he was fined $100,000. Anthony Edwards was assessed a technical foul against the Phoenix Suns after staring down Bradley Beal. Murray also flashed fake guns at Karl-Anthony Towns after he hit a contested 3-pointer, but no technical was called.

Speaking with reporters ahead of Game 5, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called the fine a "head-scratcher."

"Obviously you can’t be showing up the officials like that. But I’d like to see the itemized receipt," Finch said. "Because if it’s $75,000 for the money gesture, it must be $10,000 for the towel and $15,000 for the heating pad. So it’s just kind of a little bit of a head-scratcher to us."

Gobert missed Game 2, a 106-80 win at Denver, due to the birth of his first child. The Timberwolves need a win Tuesday night at Denver to put the Nuggets on the brink of elimination heading back to Minneapolis Thursday night.