The Nuggets had stopped playing defense — but Jaden McDaniels had other ideas.
With Minnesota up 110-96 over Denver as the clock wound down in Game 4 on Saturday, the forward infuriated Nikola Jokic when he added an uncontested layup to Minnesota’s tally.
The garbage time score caused Jokic to immediately run over to the other side of the court and confront McDaniels, as he shoved his opponent towards the Minnesota bench.
McDaniels then grabbed hold of the Serbian’s jersey and from there, a skirmish ensued.
“I don’t regret it, because he scored after everybody stopped playing,” Jokic told reporters after the game.
That sentiment was also echoed by Denver coach David Adelman, whose team is now down 3-1 in the first-round series.
“I didn’t like what McDaniels did,” Adelman said. “The game was over. The game was conceded. In 2026, that stuff just doesn’t happen anymore. That’s something that happens in the ’80s, where teams would continue to score. But that’s who he is.”
Ultimately, Jokic and Julius Randle — who also shoved others during the fracas — were ejected from the contest with 1.3 seconds remaining.
For his part, McDaniels said after the game: “Clock still be running. So I’m going to go score.”
It’s not the first time the 25-year-old has acted as an antagonist this series, as he referred to Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Tim Hardaway and Cam Johnson as “bad defenders” after his team’s Game 2 win.
The Timberwolves were led on Saturday by a 43-point outburst off the bench from Ayo Dosunmu, but they’ll now be without Anthony Edwards for several weeks after the All-Star left Game 4 with a knee injury.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Sunday that Edwards avoided ligament damage but is set to miss time with a bone bruise and hyperextension.
Minnesota also lost Donte DiVincenzo for the series and season to a torn Achilles tendon, Charania reported.
However, Gordon has also been limited by a calf injury for Denver while his teammate Peyton Watson also missed Game 4 with a hamstring strain.
