The NBA fined Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić $50,000 and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle $35,000 for their roles in a scuffle at the end of Game 4. The incident followed Jaden McDaniels' layup with 1.3 seconds left in Minnesota's 112-96 victory, putting the Timberwolves up 3-1 in their first-round playoff series. No suspensions were issued ahead of Game 5 on Monday.
The altercation erupted after Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels scored an uncontested layup despite a 14-point lead and the game effectively over. Jokić ran downcourt to confront McDaniels, who grabbed his jersey, leading to a scrum involving players and coaches. Randle escalated the situation by shoving Nuggets guard Bruce Brown, resulting in technical fouls and ejections for both Jokić and Randle, the league announced Sunday. No punches were thrown, and officials separated the players quickly. Jokić told reporters he took issue because McDaniels 'scored when everybody stopped playing.' McDaniels responded, 'I don't know what he said, to be honest, I just saw someone that was big as hell [coming toward me].' Nuggets coach David Adelman criticized the play, saying, 'The game was over...in 2026 that stuff just doesn't happen anymore, that's something that happens in the '80s.' McDaniels defended his decision: 'The clock still be running, so I'm about to go score.' The win came amid major injuries for Minnesota: Donte DiVincenzo suffered a torn right Achilles tendon less than two minutes in, sidelining him for the postseason and much of next season, per ESPN. Anthony Edwards hyperextended his left knee in the second quarter challenging a shot, diagnosed with a bone bruise and expected to miss multiple weeks. Ayo Dosunmu stepped up with 43 points off the bench, the most by a reserve in 50 years. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called DiVincenzo 'the heart and soul of so many things that we do.' The series heads to Game 5 with Minnesota favored but facing challenges without its key guards.
