Wolves-Nuggets: NBA Considering Suspensions? DiVincenzo Undergoes Surgery

With both teams already dealing with injuries to key players, suspensions could reduce the rosters further for Game 5 between the Timberwolves and Nuggets on Monday night.

"The NBA investigation is underway into the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves scuffle Saturday night, including interviews with involved players and officials and review of the footage," says ESPN's Shams Charania. "Rulings are expected before Game 5 on Monday night in Denver."

Are suspensions actually possible from the scuffle that was started when Nikola Jokic tried to intimidate Jaden McDaniels after McDaniels broke one of the league's unwritten rules by making an uncontested layup when Denver has clearly waived the white flag in a 112-96 Minnesota victory?

"Yes," says Jon Krawczynski, longtime Wolves beat reporter for The Athletic.

NBA rules stipulate that players not on the floor during play must remain in the vicinity of the bench during an on-court altercation. Players who leave the bench area, even if they're attempting to be peacemakers, can be suspended for a game and fined up to $50,000.

Here's how the league defines the altercation rules:

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.

1. The suspensions will commence prior to the start of their next game.
2. A team must have a minimum of eight players dressed and ready to play in every preseason and regular season game and nine in any playoff game.
3. If five or more players leave the bench, the players will serve their suspensions alphabetically, according to the first letters of their last name.
4. If seven bench players are suspended (assuming no participants are included), four of them would be suspended for the first game following the altercation. The remaining three would be suspended for the second game following the altercation.

The officials reviewed the scuffle Saturday night and wound up ejecting Jokic and Minnesota's Julius Randle. Both Jokic and Randle were in the game at the time of the incident.

So which players left the vicinity of the bench? It's really hard to tell with Minnesota since the incident happened near their bench, but Rudy Gobert, Bones Hyland, and perhaps Naz Reid would fit that description, based on replays of the scuffle.

As for Denver, Aaron Gordon clearly left the bench in what appeared to be a peacemaker role, while Jonas Valanciunas also left the bench and watched all of the chaos without inserting himself into the scrum.

DiVincenzo surgery on Sunday

Minnesota will already be without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo. Edwards will reportedly miss multiple weeks after suffering a bone bruise and hyperextended knee during Game 4, while DiVincenz ruptured his right Achilles and will undergo surgery on Sunday.

Dr. Martin O'Malley will perform the surgery in New York at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Game 5 of the Wolves-Nuggets series tips off at 9:42 p.m. CT on Monday.