NBA fines Nikola Jokić, Julius Randle after scuffle at end of Nuggets-Timberwolves Game 4

Both Nikola Jokić and Julius Randle have been punished by the NBA after a scuffle that erupted in the final seconds of Game 4, the league announced on Sunday.

Jokić was fined $50,000 for his role in the incident, and Randle was assessed a $35,000 fine. Neither was hit with a suspension, and will be available for Game 5.

Minnesota took a 3-1 series lead with Saturday’s 112-96 win, behind a monster performance from Ayo Dosunmu off the bench. But with seconds left on the clock, and the Timberwolves up by double digits, forward Jaden McDaniels made an unnecessary open layup to grow Minnesota’s score even more.

Jokić quickly confronted McDaniels over the bucket, which breaks an unwritten rule about letting the clock run down. From there, both teams rushed over and got into a shoving match.

Once the scrum was cleared, the referees ejected Jokić and Minnesota’s Julius Randle, citing unsportsmanlike conduct.

Postgame, both McDaniels and Jokić told reporters that they didn’t regret their choices. Jokić said that he confronted the young Timberwolves forward “because he scored after everybody stopped playing.”

McDaniels, meanwhile, did not show any remorse about the layup. “The clock’s still be running, so, I’m about to go score,” he said.

The series will now return to Denver for Game 5 on Monday night. While that’s sure to be a heated outing between the two teams, both Jokić and Randle will be able to take the court at Ball Arena after all. With the series on the line for the Nuggets, Jokić’s presence is sure to make a big difference.