On Tuesday, a clip went viral of Minnesota Timberwolves star center Rudy Gobert seemingly punching Dallas Mavericks big man Dwight Powell. The clip led NBA fans to have some fun on X, formerly Twitter, comparing Gobert to his longtime nemesis, Draymond Green.

NBA fans turn in hilarious reactions to Rudy Gobert seemingly punching Dwight Powell

The altercation occurred early in the first quarter of the Wolves’ road matchup against the Mavs on Sunday. Powell was boxing out the three-time Defensive Player of the Year on a free throw attempt when Gobert subtly jabbed at his side.

The punch appeared to be unprompted. Meanwhile, the referees seemingly didn’t notice, so no call was made. However, fans certainly took notice, leading to countless Green-related jokes.

The veteran Golden State Warriors star infamously put Gobert in a chokehold during their last matchup on Nov. 14. The incident resulted in Green receiving a five-game suspension. He has since missed an additional 12 games as part of an indefinite suspension for a separate incident on Dec. 12. against the Phoenix Suns.

However, the four-time champion was reinstated by the league on Saturday, leading fans to quip that Gobert was preparing for Green’s imminent return.
“He’s prepping for Draymond Green rematch,” one fan said.

“Learning from his mentor, the one who choked him, the great Draymond Green,” another said.

Here are a few more of the top fan comments about Gobert punching Powell:

Also Read: Anthony Davis vs Rudy Gobert stats: Key defensive metrics to determine clear favorite in DPOY race

Karl-Anthony Towns on Draymond Green putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold

After Draymond Green put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, the big man’s teammates faced criticism for not backing him up. However, according to Wolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, the team didn’t take the incident too seriously.

During a recent appearance on “Podcast P with Paul George,” Towns spoke about how following the game, Minnesota’s players joked about the altercation. He added that they were just happy to secure a victory (104-101).
“Honestly, we laughed about it. It wasn’t even anything serious,” Towns said.
“We were more talking about how we came out with a really big win there because after all of that, we stayed composed, we stayed mature and we made some really big plays at the end to get the win.”

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The incident hasn’t appeared to affect the Wolves since, as after 36 games, they sit first in the Western Conference (26-10). Meanwhile, the Warriors (17-19) are just 12th after battling without Green.