Why Did Michael Malone Attack NBA Ref On-Court? Heated Exchange Stops Game At Timberwolves vs Nuggets

Michael Malone breached the court for a heated moment with the ref. The Nuggets are already 0-1 down in the intense semi-final series and they almost lost their coach in Game 2. While both sides rely heavily on their physicality in their plays, interestingly back-to-back physical plays from the Twolves triggered a violent reaction from MM. The 52-year-old stormed onto the court after the second bucket and went head-to-head with the referee. However, he was luckily immediately separated from the ref by his players. Malone slipped away to the bench, and the ref didn’t take any action against him. So, what exactly happened, and when?

Around the third-minute mark in the first quarter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contested Anthony Edwards on the paint. Despite the hard defense, Ant-Man tackled KCP and reached the rim for the bucket, which eventually left KCP on the floor in immense pain. This play came in immediately after KAT pulled off a similar one against Nikola Jokić. That’s when Malone ran onto the floor and heatedly engaged with the ref. While he got away with the heated moment without an ejection, the Wolves kept their intensity throughout the game. The defending champs didn’t seem to have found the answer to stop the Wolves after the Game 1 embarrassment!

The Minnesota side doubled it down in Game 2, as Towns and Anthony Edwards put together 54 points to orchestrate a blow-out 106-80 win in Game 2. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray couldn’t break the shackles throughout the game. Joker managed to drop 16 points with 16 rebounds with a poor 5-13 FG. Even without the help of Rudy Gobert, the team has managed to shut down the big man. On the other end, Murray had back-to-back off nights. Tonight, he dropped 8 points with an embarrassing 3-18 FG. Aaron Gordon put up a decent show with 20 points.

Will Michael Malone get it right for Game 3?

Michael Malone and his heated arguments aren’t new to the NBA world. In fact, he got ejected twice in the regular season for repeatedly arguing with the refs. In a game against the Detroit Pistons at the start of the season, he engaged in a debate with the ref over a foul call. While the ref moved on with the play, Malone continued to argue and dragged it to the foul line. While the ref blew the whistle for a technical foul, the lively head coach staged a walkout even before the ref ejected him.

Similarly, in April 2024, the ref ejected him out during a regular season game against the LA Clippers. Importantly, Malone’s aggressive approach to the game proved to be working for the Nuggets all these months. Suddenly, he seemed irrelevant tonight against Antman & Co.

Next up, the Nuggets will move to Minnesota for Game 3. It’s a must-win for the defending champions to keep their dynasty hopes alive. The Wolves completely outplayed the dominant Serbian center and the Nuggets fans would expect a strong comeback from him to keep the series alive. Will the Wolves sweep the series or will the Nuggets stage a comeback? Let us know in the comments below.