Nikola Jokic was at the center of a huge scuffle to close out Saturday’s postseason game between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jokic charged at Timberwolves swingman Jaden McDaniels in the final seconds at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. The Nuggets center took exception to McDaniels laying in an uncontested layup rather than dribbling out the clock in what ended up being a 112-96 T-Wolves win in Game 4 of the first-round series.
Jokic ran the length of the floor to confront McDaniels right in front of Minnesota’s bench. Several players and coaches from both sides got involved — some playing peacemaker while others escalated the beef further.
Tensions were high at the end of Game 4 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves 😳
— ESPN (@espn) April 26, 2026
Both Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle were ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. pic.twitter.com/U7Pg8ULO1J
Both Jokic and Timberwolves forward Julius Randle were ejected from the contest for unsportsmanlike conduct with 1.3 seconds left on the clock.
The Timberwolves prevailed Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in the series despite losing both Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo to serious injuries in the first half. Ayo Dosunmu emerged from the bench and scored a career-high 43 points to lead his undermanned squad to victory.
McDaniels made some ruthless comments about Jokic and the entire Nuggets roster after Game 2, which added fuel to an already roaring fire of animosity between the two teams.
The NBA could look into possibly handing out suspensions over the Game 4 incident.
