MINNEAPOLIS (AP) 鈥� The Denver-Minnesota rivalry took another dramatic turn in the closing seconds of on Saturday, when Nuggets star Nikola Jokic confronted after he took an uncontested layup with the Timberwolves on the way to victory and a 3-1 lead in the first-round series.
After McDaniels made the unsportsmanlike basket with 2.1 seconds left with the Nuggets having conceded the 112-96 decision, Jokic ran from one end of the court to the other to shove him. Players from both teams converged around them to broaden the scuffle before order was restored. Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who was livid with Jokic, was ejected along with Denver’s center.
鈥淗e scored when we’d stopped playing,鈥� Jokic said. 鈥淵ou guys saw what happened.鈥�
McDaniels, who spiced up the series after Game 2 by declaring Denver’s team was full of 鈥� ,鈥� said afterward he didn’t know what Jokic said to him during the confrontation.
鈥淚 just seen someone who was big as hell,鈥� McDaniels said.
So why did he take the meaningless two points?
鈥淭he clock still be running, so I might as well go score,鈥� McDaniels said.
As teams in the same division playing four times each regular season, and facing each other in the playoffs for the third time in four years, the Nuggets and Timberwolves have become quite the archrivals.
鈥淥bviously I didn’t like what McDaniels did,鈥� Nuggets coach David Adelman said. 鈥淭he game was over. The game was conceded both ways. In 2026, that stuff just doesn’t happen anymore. That’s something that happened in the 鈥�80s, where teams would continue to score. But that鈥檚 who he is, you know? And so if that’s what they want to do, that’s what they want to do.鈥�
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