The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a huge 135-108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, and there was a notable absence on the floor for Minnesota that could have changed the game up.

Rudy Gobert was forced to miss Sunday's game after being hit with a one-game suspension by the NBA for earning his seventh flagrant foul point of the season.

Gobert is obviously a cornerstone of the Timberwolves' roster as the team's starting center and leading defensive presence, but missing him on the court changes things up offensively for the Timberwolves as well. 

Gobert's size and presence in the paint is a subtle, yet impactful factor in the Timberwolves' offensive scheme. With so many fast-paced and electric offensive players on the team, having Gobert as a threat under the hoop not only gives them options when it comes to scoring, but it frees up the guards on the perimeter. 

"Offensive rebounds, people worrying about him for crack-backs. So, when we drive we know that we can hit him in the dunker. So, now they [76ers] were just all out contesting... knowing that Rudy wasn't going to be there," Jaden McDaniels said (via Timberwolves). 

Gobert is the Timberwolves' leading rebounder and the offensive rebounds that McDaniels mentioned are another way that Gobert can facilitate the Minnesota offense even if he isn't the one getting the buckets. 

McDaniels did praise Joan Beringer, who stepped up Sunday in Gobert's stead, and explained that the team is used to working with him as well so when it came to team chemistry there wasn't much of a difference.

But when it comes to other teams, Beringer may not have the same presence as Gobert does, and it showed in the defense that 76er's applied. The 76er's were without their own main big man as Joel Embiid missed the game due to injury, but the pase of Philadelphia's back court let Philadelphia move and score freely. 

Tyrese Maxey led both teams with 39 points while his teammate VJ Edgecombe was second on the 76ers with 24 points. The 76ers took 26 more shots than the Timberwolves did and shot 52% from the field to lead them to such a lopsided score. 

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves in scoring yet again with 28 points while adding three assists and a team-leading nine rebounds. 

Minnesota will likely see Gobert back in action on Tuesday against the Miami Heat, and the contrast between having him on the floor versus not will likely show up in the box score again.