Chaos on the Court: Jokic Caught in Bench Tussle with Jeff Van Gundy
Man, you won’t believe what went down in Game 1 between the Nuggets and Clippers — it was like something straight out of a wrestling match, and not just on the hardwood. With just 34 seconds left on the clock and tensions sky-high, Nikola Jokic found himself in one of the wildest playoff moments we’ve seen in a while.
Denver was trailing by just a single point and needed a quick inbound after a Kawhi Leonard turnover. Jokic, doing what he does best — thinking a few steps ahead — rushed to get the ball back in play. But he ran into an unexpected wall... and not one made of players. Clippers assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy and team trainer Jasen Powell were literally holding onto the ball from the bench, refusing to let Jokic have it.
Let that sink in — an assistant coach and a trainer, grabbing the ball during a live playoff game. Jokic, understandably frustrated, tried to wrestle it out of their hands, but it was two-on-one. Even Christian Braun joked afterward, saying Van Gundy "held his ground" pretty well and called it “pretty embarrassing” for Jokic. It was all in good humor, but still, come on — it was a playoff game, not WWE Raw.
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Jokic took it all in stride postgame, laughing with reporters, saying it was “two against one” so he didn’t stand a chance. And despite all the chaos, he still dropped 29 points, 12 assists, and 9 boards, just one rebound shy of a triple-double. Denver held on to win in OT, 112-110, taking the first game of this already-heated series.
Denver interim coach David Adelman wasn’t nearly as amused, though. He raised a valid point: if a coach can just stop a play by holding the ball, where’s the line? He joked about maybe doing the same himself in future games, saying, “If that’s OK, then I guess we should start doing it.” Honestly, it’s hard to argue with him. If there was ever a moment to call delay of game, that was it. Yet the Clippers didn’t even get a warning.
And this isn’t the first time Jokic has had sideline drama in the playoffs. Remember that shove on Suns owner Mat Ishbia last year? The man just seems to find himself in the weirdest off-court confrontations — or maybe they find him.
In the end, though, basketball prevailed. Russell Westbrook — yes, the former Clippers guard now playing for Denver — buried a clutch three late in regulation and helped push the game to overtime. Harden tried to answer back, and the game went into extra minutes, but Denver came out on top.
Game 2 is set to be electric. This series is already full of drama, and we’re just getting started. If this first game was any indication, the Nuggets-Clippers saga might turn out to be the most unpredictable story of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
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