Taj Gibson was fined $25,000 for directing an obscene gesture towards an official during the Minnesota Timberwolves' 106-102 loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

Gibson received two technical fouls after protesting a foul call and had to be restrained by teammates in the third quarter of the loss.

Devin Booker and Gorgui Dieng were ejected from Tuesday's game following a confrontation between the two.

Dieng knocked Booker down with an elbow and the two then exchanged words before Booker retaliated by putting his left hand in Dieng's face.

“I think he’s trying to hit me,” Dieng said. “Everybody could see. It was clear. I wasn’t trying to throw a punch. He’s trying to hit me. I just laugh it off.”

As Dieng was leaving the court, he motioned Booker to meet him in the hallway. Booker tried to run off the court to meet Dieng in the hallway but was held back by the Suns' director of team security.

Dieng got to the top of the hallway between the locker rooms as he left the court first, but went back inside the visiting locker room before Booker got to the other end of the hallway near the Suns’ locker room.

“I know in this league a lot of guys think they’re tough.” Dieng said. “And they’re not.”

Tyus Jones will wear a boot for several days after spraining his left ankle. Jones will be day-to-day following the removal of the boot.

Jones suffered the injury in the third quarter of the Timbewolves' 149-107 loss to the 76ers.

Jones is averaging 5.4 points and 4 assists in 20.3 minutes this season. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves will hire Jerry Sichting as assistant coach.

Sichting was most recently an assistant coach with the New York Knicks under Jeff Hornacek.

Sichting was an assistant with the Wolves from 1995 until 2005, and again from 2008 until 2010.

Dave Joerger addressed rumors of him potentially taking over as the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, saying that his focus is on getting the Sacramento Kings to the playoffs. 

“Obviously I’m a Minnesota kid, so it’s interesting, but at the same time, my focus is right here, right now. I mean, we’re having a great time with our guys...we have an identity, and we’re giving ourselves a chance to be in the playoff race. I think every coach and every player, that’s all they ever want in their careers, is an opportunity to be in the playoffs, and that’s really where my mindset is now.”

Joerger previously interviewed for the Timberwolves job in 2014, but ultimately decided to return to the Grizzlies.

Karl-Anthony Towns said his teammates were caught off guard by Tom Thibodeau's firing, adding that he felt they were on the verge of finding stability under their former coach.

"We had just celebrated a good win, so we all went home thinking the day was over," said Towns.

Towns added that he was not given a reason for why Thibodeau was fired.

Ryan Saunders was named the interim coach, with Fred Hoiberg, Monty Williams, and Chauncey Billups all rumored to be drawing interest for the position. 

Fred Hoiberg went on the record to state he prefers to remain in coaching rather than returning to an NBA front office.

Hoiberg has been mentioned as a candidate for UCLA's head coaching vacancy.

"My passion is in coaching and I'm looking forward to what lies ahead," said Hoiberg.

The Minnesota Timberwolves could have interest in Hoiberg in either a head coaching or general manager capacity.

Hoiberg was fired by the Chicago Bulls earlier this season.

Hoiberg said he will keep an open mind in searching for his next basketball job.

"I am not prioritizing one over the other in respect to the NBA and college," Hoiberg said. "The jobs are so different that you cannot compare them, so I plan on evaluating whatever opportunities may come independently."

Karl-Anthony Towns and Tom Thibodeau had a sometimes rocky partnership during their time together, but the two had been getting along well in recent weeks.

Towns agreed to sign a contract extension with the Wolves this offseason before Thibodeau's job status became an issue.

Towns told The Athletic in October that “Thibs and I may not see eye-to-eye every day, but the one thing I know is we have tremendous respect for each other.”

Sources say that sentiment remained unchanged.

Towns and Thibodeau laughed and joked with each other during Saturday's practice.

Fred Hoiberg is not an immediate candidate for the head coach or president's job of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Hoiberg was fired earlier this season by the Chicago Bulls and is known as a favorite of Glen Taylor.

Ryan Saunders will get a chance to win the permanent job as head coach. Scott Layden will also be given the opportunity to remain as general manager.

The Wolves may consider hiring an assistant coach with previous head coaching experience to help Saunders.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived James Nunnally.

Over 13 appearances this season, the 28-year-old Nunnally averaged 2.1 points in 4.9 minutes. 

Nunnally was waived the day before his contract would have become guaranteed for the rest of the season. The Wolves now have 16 players on their roster.