Adrian Wojnarowski reveals Jaden McDaniels is out of the play-in game against the LA Lakers

The Minnesota Timberwolves will see Jaden McDaniels miss the game against the LA Lakers due to a hand injury. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that the forward had in fact fractured his hand while punching a wall out of frustration.

Minnesota's game against the New Orleans Pelicans saw an interesting series of events transpire right before the end of the first-half. The game was quite heated as both teams were competing for a spot in the top half of the play-in bracket. However, things turned ugly for the Wolves.

The frustrations of the competition impacted the players on the bench. This led to a little scuffle as star big man Rudy Gobert threw a punch at forward Kyle Anderson.

SportsCenter

@SportsCenter

Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert had to be separated after a heated altercation during a timeout.

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Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert had to be separated after a heated altercation during a timeout. https://t.co/HVuPNdjrxs

Gobert was sent home immediately. However, the worst was yet to come. As the team heading into the locker room after the second quarter, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels was seen punching a wall out of frustration.

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

After sending Rudy Gobert home for punching a teammate, Jaden McDaniels fractured his hand punching a wall.

Timberwolves are playoff ready.

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After sending Rudy Gobert home for punching a teammate, Jaden McDaniels fractured his hand punching a wall.

Timberwolves are playoff ready. https://t.co/MvZBMUqC2P

The act resulted in McDaniels being ruled out of the game with a hand injury. Unfortunately, the seriousness of it was confirmed by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski in a recent tweet.

Adrian Wojnarowski

@wojespn

McDaniels' impact has been immense this season, especially on the defensive end. He's one of six players to defend 2022-2023 All-Stars at least 1,000 times this season, per @StatsWilliams. Now, he's lost vs. LeBron James and Lakers in Play-In game on Tuesday -- and beyond. twitter.com/wojespn/status…

Adrian Wojnarowski

@wojespn

Minnesota Timberwolves F Jaden McDaniels -- who was seen punching a wall on his way to the halftime locker room – has a fractured hand, sources tell ESPN.

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Minnesota Timberwolves F Jaden McDaniels -- who was seen punching a wall on his way to the halftime locker room – has a fractured hand, sources tell ESPN.

McDaniels' impact has been immense this season, especially on the defensive end. He's one of six players to defend 2022-2023 All-Stars at least 1,000 times this season, per @StatsWilliams. Now, he's lost vs. LeBron James and Lakers in Play-In game on Tuesday -- and beyond. twitter.com/wojespn/status…

With McDaniels being sidelined, Minnesota will be missing a core piece in their starting lineup against the seventh-seeded LA Lakers.

With internal discord potentially flaring at this crucial juncture, the Timberwolves may see their postseason dreams shattered.

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How does Jaden McDaniels' injury affect the LA Lakers?

A matchup between the LA Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves doesn't necessarily benefit the Purple and Gold. Due to the sheer size available on the T'Wolves team, Minnesota creates a lot of matchup problems.

However, with Jaden McDaniels suffering a hand injury, the Lakers may enjoy better odds of winning.

McDaniels is also Minnesota's primary wing defender. As someone responsible for guarding some of the best players on opposing teams, he did a solid job of locking down on the defensive end. His absence will have an adverse impact on Minnesota's wing defense.

With McDaniels out, the Timberwolves will have one less defensive option to put on LeBron James. James has proven that he is still enough of a scoring threat at 38 years old.

With LeBron roaming freely, the Lakers may see their offense click. This will be crucial in locking down the seventh seed with a win against Minnesota.

Also Read: Can the LA Lakers make it into 2023 NBA playoffs? Looking at chances of the team to make it past play-in tournament

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