The Denver Nuggets are on the brink of elimination in the first round for the first time in the last four years. The Minnesota Timberwolves won Game 4 despite two big losses of their top personnel to injuries.

Anthony Edwards is out with a knee hyperextension and bone bruise. Donte DiVincenzo will be out for the season after having surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon. But Shaquille O’Neal has sent a fresh warning to Minnesota ahead of Game 5. 

“You just have to concentrate on one game,” Shaq said on NBA on ESPN. “Young fella Ayo Dosunmu must understand that they're going to treat him like Anthony Edwards now. They're going to adjust, and they're going to say, " We're not going to let you get off.”

Shaq warned of a strong response from Denver.

“And they're going to play a little bit harder in Denver. They're still upset about the fiasco at the end of the game. Minnesota just has to concentrate and just buckle down for one game.” Shaq added.

Shaq’s warning is particularly potent after Dosunmu’s brilliant 43-point bench performance helped power Minnesota to a 112-96 Game 4 victory.

His attacks at the rim and sharp shooting from outside burned the Denver defense — the same tools that made him a deadline target. Now, look for the Nuggets to gameplan specifically to stop him.

With both Edwards and DiVincenzo done for the series, the stakes couldn't be higher heading into Game 5. Dosunmu delivered in the clutch for Minnesota, but the game turned into complete chaos.

Nikola Jokić was ejected after charging across the court to clothesline Jaden McDaniels over a late layup, and Julius Randle was tossed for throwing himself aggressively into the fray to defend his teammate.

But it didn't end there. Nikola Jokic confronted McDaniels for apparently violating the league’s unwritten rule, which got chippy. 

NBA punishes Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle following Game 4 scuffle

Just a day after the altercation, the NBA took disciplinary action‌ against players from the Nuggets and the Timberwolves.

According to the statement released by the league, Jokic has been fined $50,000, and the Timberwolves star Julius Randle has been fined $35,000 for their involvement in the altercation. 

NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations James Jones made the ruling after a thorough review. Randle was fined for escalating the altercation.

The charges also included pushing Bruce Brown and “forcefully inserting himself into the scrum.” Joker was fined for pushing McDaniels and Randle during the scrum. 

“Because he scored when everybody stopped playing,” Jokić said after the game when reporters asked him about what caused him to lose his patience. “Come on, guys, you saw it, what happened.”

Jokic and the Nuggets couldn’t contain Dosunmu’s offensive onslaught. Rudy Gobert's defense has largely minimized the three-time MVP in the last three games. 

What do you think? Will Jokic and the Nuggets respond in Game 5 when they host the Timberwolves? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Utsav Gupta