Nuggets-Timberwolves erupts into shoving in final seconds of Game 4, Nikola Jokić and Julius Randle ejected

Kari AndersonSun, April 26, 2026 at 4:46 AM UTC

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The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up a 112-96 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday — but not before tempers flared. The Game 4 win, which gave Minnesota a 3-1 series lead, ended with a confrontation between Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels and Nuggets center Nikola Jokić in the final seconds.

With seconds ticking down and Minnesota up by double digits, McDaniels took the ball and made an open layup, rather than holding the ball to end the game. Jokić took exception, rushing over to confront McDaniels near the Timberwolves’ bench, with both teams forming a scrum.

Following the scuffle, Jokić and Timberwolves forward Julius Randle were ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct, with 1.3 seconds remaining.

Via ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Jokić said postgame that he didn’t “regret” the confrontation “because he scored after everybody stopped playing,” and said that it was an unwritten rule that you let the clock run out at that point.

After the game, McDaniels did not seem remorseful about the layup when speaking with reporters.

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“The clock’s still be running, so, I’m about to go score,” McDaniels said, via the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Chris Hine.

The Nuggets, who trailed 2-1 in the series heading into Game 4, held a narrow lead throughout the second quarter, with Minnesota losing starters Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo in the first half. But the Timberwolves surged in the second half behind a career night from Ayo Dosunmu, who scored 43 points off the bench.

Postgame, Dosunmu didn’t seem too worried about the scuffle: “I ride with them 100%, right or wrong,” he said of his teammates.

Minnesota center Rudy Gobert also downplayed McDaniels’ decision to take that last-second layup during a postgame interview on Inside the NBA.

“It’s the playoffs, man, you know. The game’s still going, he has the ball in his hands,” Gobert said. “Nothing much to be mad about.”

It is unclear how the ejections will affect Jokić and Randle’s availability going forward, as the series returns to Denver for Game 5 on Monday. The league may decide to hand down additional punishments after reviewing footage of the fight.

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Source: “AOL Sports”