MINNEAPOLIS — A last-second layup by Jaden McDaniels ignited a confrontation with Nikola Jokic and capped the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 112-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 on Saturday night, giving Minnesota a 3-1 edge in their Western Conference first-round series.
With 1.3 seconds remaining and the outcome decided, McDaniels drove for an uncontested basket instead of letting the clock expire. Jokic, standing near mid-court, sprinted toward the forward, exchanged words, and shoved him. McDaniels grabbed Jokic’s jersey, and players from both teams converged in front of the Timberwolves’ bench.
After video review, officials ejected Jokic and Minnesota forward Julius Randle, who had entered the fray and pushed multiple Nuggets. The league is expected to examine the incident and determine whether any additional discipline is warranted before Game 5 on Monday in Denver. Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, out of the game at the time, walked down the sideline toward the skirmish during the chaos.
Mounting tension
McDaniels has been a central figure in the series’ rising hostility. Following Minnesota’s Game 2 win in Denver, he publicly labeled Jokic, Gordon, Jamal Murray and others “bad defenders,” a remark that irritated the Nuggets.
“Clock still be running, so I’m going to go score,” McDaniels said Saturday when asked about the late layup. Jokic countered, “I don’t regret it, because he scored after everybody stopped playing.”
Nuggets coach David Adelman criticized the play, saying, “The game was over. The game was conceded. In 2026, that stuff just doesn’t happen anymore.”
Injury concerns on both sides
Minnesota’s win came at a cost. Starting guard Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles tendon 79 seconds into the game and is out for the season. All-Star guard Anthony Edwards hyperextended his left knee late in the second quarter and will undergo an MRI; his availability for the remainder of the series is uncertain.
Denver dealt with its own setbacks. Gordon, nursing a strained calf suffered in Game 2, was limited to 23 minutes in Game 4. Peyton Watson remained sidelined by a hamstring injury, leaving the Nuggets short-handed on the wing.
Dosunmu’s breakout performance
Reserve guard Ayo Dosunmu, acquired from Chicago at February’s trade deadline for four second-round picks, replaced DiVincenzo to start the second half and delivered a career-best 43 points on 13-of-17 shooting. He became the first player in postseason history to make at least five three-pointers without a miss (5-for-5) and hit all 10 free throws in the same game. Minnesota outscored Denver 62-42 after intermission.
“I didn’t know he was that damn good,” Randle said of his teammate. “But damn, I’m glad we got him.”
Nuggets stumble late
Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists but went 0-for-6 from the field in the fourth quarter, committing two turnovers as Denver faded. The Nuggets, who erased a 3-1 deficit against the LA Clippers in the 2020 playoffs, now face the same uphill climb with two of the potential final three games scheduled at Ball Arena.
Game 5 is set for Monday night in Denver.
Source: ESPN
