Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun dunked hard on Rudy Gobert, then celebrated in spite of Rudy Gobert. It caused some hard feelings in a rematch of a seven-game series from last year’s playoffs.
In the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, Braun found a path to the basket that took him right by the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. That’s usually a recipe for offensive disaster, but Braun muscled his way for a thunderous, two-handed dunk that prompted audible gasps from the Target Center crowd.
Braun continued to celebrate by yelling and going down the baseline, right into Gobert. The Frenchman made an exception, putting his hands on the 25-year-old guard and pushing him away.
A quick intervention by Timberwolves forward Jayden McDaniels and the officials prevented the situation from escalating, but both Braun and Gobert were assessed technical fouls in the aftermath.
It was a highlight for the Nuggets, who took a 10-point lead a minute later. That was the end of the good, however, as the Timberwolves continued to put away the 10 point for four minutes in what ended up being a 119-116 Minnesota victory.
Gobert played a crucial role in putting the Nuggets up, making both his free throw with 10 seconds left and forcing reigning MVP Nikola Jokić into a tough 3-pointer to end the game.
Gobert finished the game with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting with 14 rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while Braun had 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds. Aaron Gordon led all scorers with 31 points, while Anthony Edwards had 29 points for the victors.
