The Nuggets opened their preseason on Saturday night in San Diego, taking on the reviled Minnesota Timberwolves. Sure, it was just an exhibition game, but that didn’t stop things from getting chippy in the opening minutes.
On one of the first few possessions of the game, Nikola Jokic received a pass on the right elbow, and as he went to pivot with the ball, he struck Rudy Gobert in the side of the face. Rudy put his hands on his head, stumbling backwards a couple of feet before realizing there was no whistle.
Jokic, taking advantage of the space, drove hard to the basket for what appeared to be an open layup.