What Aaron Gordon Did During Nuggets-Timberwolves Scrum Could Lead to Suspension for Do-or-Die Game 5

Aaron Gordon could be in trouble for what he did during the Nuggets’ late-game dust-up with the Timberwolves. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Saturday night was a disaster for the Nuggets on numerous levels.

Despite their first-round playoff opponent, the Timberwolves, losing two of its most important players to gut-punch injuries in the first half of Game 3, Denver rolled over and lost in Minnesota to go down 3–1 in the series. The defense, called out by the opponents throughout this series, allowed Ayo Dosunmu to score 43 points to win the day. The night ended with an ugly dust-up featuring the Nuggets’ star player, as Nikola Jokić got in the face of Jaden McDaniels after the Wolves defender scored with 1.3 seconds remaining and the game well in hand.

Tensions were high at the end of Game 4 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves 😳

Both Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle were ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. pic.twitter.com/U7Pg8ULO1J

— ESPN (@espn) April 26, 2026

It was not a night to remember for anybody on the Denver side. But it could get worse if the NBA decides to hand out suspensions for how the scrum went down on Saturday night; ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Sunday the league investigation is underway and possible consequences will be announced before Monday night’s Game 5. While all attention will rightfully be paid to whether Jokić will be penalized for setting everything off, the Nuggets might wind up missing a key role player instead—Aaron Gordon, whose actions during the fight could absolutely lead to a suspsension.

Gordon was not involved in the situation to start. He played through a calf strain and was clearly hobbled, to the degree he was subbed out with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter and didn’t re-enter the game. But he did get back on the court, technically, during the scrum. Which is a problem.

After the Nuggets and Timberwolves on the court sprinted to separate Jokić from McDaniels, Gordon and his teammate Jonas Valančiūnas can be seen in the middle of the crowd down near the Minnesota bench. As things died down, Gordon walked back to the bench alongside Jokić despite wearing his warm-up clothes.

Hello, Aaron Gordon (far right) | ESPN

Why is that an issue? Well, the game was technically still going on since there were 1.3 seconds on the clock when everything popped off. NBA players are not permitted to leave their team’s bench area for any reason during if an altercation unfolds on the court. The consequences for doing so: an immediate suspension and hefty fine. When asked about that after the game, Gordon pointed a finger at the Timberwolves, saying their “whole team” walked onto the court during the dust-up before dryly noting he and his teammates didn’t move a muscle.

The fact remains that Gordon, by letter of the law, broke the rules by going towards the Timberwolves’ bench to break up the fight instead of staying put. That means there’s a real chance one of Denver’s most important players gets hit with a suspension for a do-or-die Game 5.

NBA rules on leaving the bench

For those wondering, here is the exact wording in the NBA rulebook on leaving the bench during a situation like Saturday’s Wolves-Nuggets scrum.

“During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be subject to suspension, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $50,000.”

Gordon was not participating in the game and was well outside the “immediate vicinity” of the Nuggets’ bench for much of the altercation. As stated: by letter of the law, he went against this rule.

The most infamous application of this rule came in 2007, when the Spurs met the Suns in the semifinals of that year’s Western Conference playoffs. A scuffle broke out late in Game 4 after a hip check by Robert Horry on Steve Nash, which inspired Amar’e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw to leave the team’s bench area. They were both suspended for Game 5, which completely changed the tenor of the series and eventually led to a Suns’ series loss; it’s seen as the biggest disappointment of the Seven Seconds or Less era in Phoenix.

Will Gordon get suspended, and will any Wolves players suffer the same fate?

Jaden McDaniels and Nikola Jokić were at the center of the scrum that closed Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Game 4 on Saturday. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

There is a pretty good chance Gordon doesn’t get suspended despite the evidence he broke the rules. The NBA hasn’t proven eager to suspend players under this policy during postseason play in recent years. During the 2018 Finals, for example, the league opted against suspending Kevin Love for wandering near the scorers’ table during a similar late-game altercation, even though he undeniably broke the rules by leaving the immediate bench area.

If the NBA does suspend Gordon, though, there’s also a chance they don’t apply the same discipline to the Timberwolves. Why would that be? Because the fight took place right in front of the Minnesota bench. There’s a case to be made that none of the Timberwolves who got involved in the pile-up actually left their “bench area” because it was happening in their bench area.

It’s unlikely the NBA is eager to dole out suspensions for what happened on Saturday night. It’s even less likely they will want to split hairs between Gordon’s actions and the actions of whatever Wolves players might have crossed the line.

But if the league is going to be strict, rules were broken in Game 4 and it may very well impact Game 5 as a result.

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