Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points for the Denver Nuggets
ByPaul BattisonBBC Sport Journalist- Published26 minutes ago
Nikola Jokic was ejected after an altercation with Jaden McDaniels as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets to move to the brink of victory in the NBA play-offs first round.
With the Timberwolves 14 points ahead in game four with 1.3 seconds of the match remaining, McDaniels scored an uncontested lay-up when the Nuggets players were expecting him to run the clock down.
Seeing the play as bad sportsmanship, Serbia's Jokic, 31, ran from mid-court to confront McDaniels, shoving the American which incited a scuffle between both sides' benches.
The incident led to NBA three-time Most Valuable Player player Jokic being ejected from the match, alongside Timberwolves forward Julius Randle.
The Timberwolves' 112-96 victory gave them a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference play-offs.
McDaniels, who was not ejected following the incident, said he did not know what Jokic said to him.
"I just seen someone who was big as hell," he added.
The 25-year-old has riled the Nuggets during the series, calling their players "bad defenders" following a 119-114 victory for the Timberwolves in game two.
Nuggets coach David Adelman said he "didn't like" McDaniels' conduct in scoring the lay-up as the Timberwolves moved to within one win of a series victory.
"The game was over. The game was conceded. In 2026, that stuff just doesn't happen any more," said Adelman.
"That's something that happens in the '80s, where teams would continue to score. But that's who he is."
Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in the match but it wasn't enough as the Timberwolves, led by Ayo Dosunmu's career-high 43 points, won their third straight game in the series.
