Tempers flared near the very end of the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ Game 4 victory over the Denver Nuggets, in what was an emotional contest for many reasons.
Minnesota saw two of its players suffer injuries and never return to the game, including a season-ending Achilles injury to Donte DiVincenzo within the game’s first minute. Despite also losing superstar Anthony Edwards in the second quarter, Minnesota received a huge contribution from Ayo Dosunmu to lead them to a double-digit win.
And with the team leading comfortably and under five seconds on the clock in the fourth quarter, Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels chose to put an exclamation point on the win with an uncontested and unnecessary layup on the Timberwolves’ end of the court.
That drew the ire of Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, who charged at him and confronted him in front of the Wolves’ bench just past the halfcourt line. Ultimately, it escalated thanks to Minnesota’s Julius Randle, resulting in ejections for both players with 1.3 seconds left in the game.
More news: Charles Barkley Claims He’d ‘Put a Hit’ on Jaden McDaniels for Wolves Layup
As expected, the NBA reviewed the late-game incident and has officially assessed punishments for both players. The good news is that neither player is suspended for any games as a result of their scuffle. The bad news is they lose a bit of money over the late-game drama.
Of the two players, the two-time MVP Jokic received the bigger fine of $50,000, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Randle was fined $35,000 for his role in the altercation.
While some might blame McDaniels for what happened, there are no NBA rules against scoring late in a game when a team has a significant lead, and Jokic was the one who initiated the confrontation.
It’s more of a respect thing between players and their opponents, although there have been many times when players have ignored that gesture. In many instances, it has drawn frustrated responses from opposing players or head coaches.
Jokic said he didn’t regret his actions late in the game as the players had basically stopped playing and were going to let the clock run out.
The Nuggets are now down 1-3 in the series and one game away from elimination. However, they can force a Game 6 by winning the next one in Denver, which the Timberwolves will play without Anthony Edwards. Ant-Man is expected to be unavailable to play for his team for several weeks following a bone bruise and hyperextension in his left knee.
Game 5 occurs on Monday night at 10:40 p.m. Eastern Time, with the Nuggets already large 11.5-point favorites in a must-win NBA Playoffs game.
More news: Magic Johnson Sends Message on Timberwolves After Anthony Edwards Injury
For more about the NBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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