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Timberwolves Defeat Nuggets 112-96 in Game 4, Take 3-1 Series Lead
The Minnesota Timberwolves secured a 112-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets, advancing to a 3-1 series lead. A late layup by Jaden McDaniels sparked a confrontation with Nikola Jokic, leading to ejections of Jokic and Julius Randle. Injuries sidelined Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards during the game.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets 112-96 in their playoff matchup, moving to a 3-1 series lead. With the clock running down under five seconds, Jaden McDaniels was all alone on the Timberwolves' side of the court and proceeded to score a layup with 1.3 seconds remaining that most would call unnecessary when leading by double digits.
Soon after, the Nuggets' Nikola Jokic rushed to the other end to confront McDaniels, getting in his face for what he considered a disrespectful play.
The two players got into one another's faces near the Timberwolves bench, with Minnesota's Julius Randle also escalating things by shoving Jokic. The referees ejected both Jokic and Randle with 1.3 seconds left in the game, and the play is likely to be reviewed by the league ahead of Game 5.
The incident occurred after McDaniels found himself alone on the Timberwolves' side of the court as the clock wound down under five seconds.
McDaniels said postgame that the clock was still running, so he was going to score. On ESPN's 'Inside the NBA,' Charles Barkley addressed the layup, saying he used to go after players who did similar things in NBA games. 'I'm going to put a hit on him.
I'm not going to lie, I have put a hit on guys. If we're down 20, you don't do it. If a team is up on me 20 points and a guy shoots a 3, imma give $500 to somebody to knock the hell out of him. I've done that before. I'm proud of it too,' Barkley said.
The game also saw injuries to key Timberwolves players. Donte DiVincenzo suffered an Achilles injury when he landed awkwardly after a shot just one minute into the game. He was helped off the court and later seen in a wheelchair with his hood over his head.
