Charles Barkley Claims He'd ‘Put a Hit' on Jaden McDaniels for Wolves Layup
Jaden McDaniels raised eyebrows with his late-game bucket against the Denver Nuggets in a playoff game where the Minnesota Timberwolves had things in control with very little time on the clock.
With the clock running down under five seconds, 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.
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The Wolves won the game 112-96, with the late-game antics and scuffle drawing attention. McDaniels said postgame that the clock was still running, so he was going to score. Jokic said he didn’t regret confronting the Timberwolves player because “he scored after everybody stopped playing.”
On ESPN’s “Inside the NBA,” Charles Barkley was also not a fan of McDaniels’ late-game layup, mentioning how 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. If you shoot that ball, we’re going to get you!” Barkley said.
With the win, the Wolves moved to a 3-1 series lead and are on the verge of eliminating the Nuggets. However, they also lost two key players to injuries during the game, with Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards both exiting the contest.
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, seeming devastated by what occurred.
Edwards then had his knee bend awkwardly after contesting a Nuggets’ shot at the rim. He was clearly frustrated after the injury and exited the game late in the second quarter.
There’s good and bad news with the injuries. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Edwards didn’t suffer ligament damage, but due to a bone bruise and hyperextension in his left knee, he’ll likely “miss multiple weeks.” Unfortunately, DiVincenzo’s season is over after tearing his Achilles in last night’s game.
Game 5 occurs on Monday night in Denver at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time with NBC and Peacock televising the matchup.
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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 5:06 PM.