MINNEAPOLIS — Christian Braun was teleported back in time to one of his college games.
It was Nov. 26, 2021, against his new Nuggets teammate DaRon Holmes II and the Dayton Flyers. With 1:45 remaining in the first half, Braun taunted after a slam dunk that put Kansas up 44-29 and received a technical foul. Dayton ended the half on a 6-0 run and then tied the game four minutes after the intermission. KU lost on a buzzer-beater.
Braun recalled that game to his teammates in the Denver locker room Friday night, after a dramatic 119-116 loss to the Timberwolves. It’s not a fond memory for him, and neither was this highlight.
“I’ve gotta be more responsible,” Braun said after posterizing Rudy Gobert and getting into a brief confrontation with the Timberwolves center, which resulted in matching technical fouls. “… I’ve got to do a better job of controlling myself.”
The driving dunk gave Denver a 110-102 lead with 5:14 remaining. It wasn’t even Braun’s first poster over Gobert — he switched hands in mid-air for one back in April — but it was perhaps the most authoritative and memorable slam of his career so far, a statement of intent on national television five games into his new role with a championship-caliber starting lineup.
Except it didn’t turn out triumphantly. The Timberwolves rallied from a late 10-point deficit and spoiled what would’ve been an undefeated road trip for Denver.
“Probably the best dunk I’ve ever seen live,” Nuggets forward Hunter Tyson said.
But Braun was hard on himself after the loss, blaming his defensive lapses for a pair of late Nickeil Alexander-Walker 3-pointers during Minnesota’s rally. He also evaluated his dunk as the turning point in the game — not because of the explosive play itself, but its regrettable aftermath.
“Momentum changed like that, after the tech,” Braun said. “… It should have been a positive, and then I get the tech, and that turns it to a negative. So if there is no stoppage of play, I don’t get a tech and I get back on defense, I think that’s a big positive. That’s a big momentum play for us, and that’s why I’m on the court. Those plays, I can make. But I’ve gotta be smarter after I make that play. Get back on defense.”
Gobert is a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year who’s often maligned for his defense despite the accolades. He left his feet on the play to challenge Braun at the rim unsuccessfully. After the dunk, Braun celebrated by shouting and stepping toward the chest of Gobert, who responded by appearing to wrap his left arm around Braun’s neck and shove the 23-year-old guard. Players from both teams rushed to the scene, and Nuggets coach Michael Malone even sprinted the length of the court to play peacemaker. Jokic described it as “a normal reaction by both sides.”
“This is an emotional game. It’s a competitive game. And CB had an impressive play,” Malone said. “To be honest, I didn’t even see exactly what happened. They took offense to maybe CB celebrating, I’m assuming. … I thought it was handled by their staff, by our staff, our players, their players, the referees. It didn’t get out of hand. It was nipped in the bud. Some words were said. Emotions run high. They’re trying to get a win. We’re trying to get a win. And then you move on and you play hard from there. That’s part of the game. No one was doing anything dirty or egregious in nature.”
Aaron Gordon was more skeptical of Gobert’s intent. The Nuggets’ hard-nosed power forward joined Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. as the first players to join the fray, which quickly dispersed. Jokic had been running to the defensive end of the floor while letting out a rare animated yell, unaware of the conflict.
“He dunked the (crap) out of Rudy Gobert,” Gordon told The Denver Post. “Rudy probably should have been ejected. But that’s hurtful to get dunked on then thrown out of the game, so I think they were protecting him a bit.”
Braun himself has labeled Denver and Minnesota as rivals after their playoff matchups in consecutive seasons. Was the incident at Target Center merely a product of two teams starting to dislike each other out of sheer familiarity?
Gordon says no.
“I think (Gobert) just got dunked on hard as (crap), and that is not a great feeling,” he said.
Braun has been a revelation as Denver’s new fifth starter, averaging 14 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 52% from the field. That includes clear room to grow as a scorer, too. The Nuggets need him to make his corner 3s at a higher rate to open up the offense.
Malone has repeatedly pointed out early in the season that Braun has his skillset and should therefore not be compared to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whom he replaced in the lineup. Caldwell-Pope’s offensive game was largely based on spot-up shooting. That’s an area where Braun has room to improve, but he has imposed himself more with the ball in his hands, attacking the rim with strength and touch.
He attempted to accomplish that in the last 20 seconds of regulation Friday, with Denver trailing 117-116. But Gobert contested the shot effectively, ending up with the rebound and a pair of free throws that allowed Minnesota to hang on.
“This is a good thing for me experience-wise, too,” Braun said. “Because I’m not gonna get those calls. The one before that, I thought I got hit too. But that doesn’t matter. I’m not gonna get those calls. I’ve gotta go stronger. … It was a good play by Rudy. I’ve gotta go stronger.”
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He and Gobert are different in almost every way — age, nationality, position — but share a mutual respect for after the incident, despite any bitterness their teammates felt.
“He made a great play,” Gobert said, “and there’s always a little adrenaline. … I have nothing against Braun. I actually think he’s a very good player. He’s a good kid.”
“The reason I get so hyped up after that is, that’s the best rim protector in the NBA,” Braun said. “So making a play on the best rim protector in the NBA doesn’t happen to him often. He had a really good play down the stretch on me where I didn’t go strong enough. So that’s what he does, man. He’s really good at that. That’s why he is who he is, and that’s why he’s Defensive Player of the Year. I got him once and he got me too. … They got the win, so obviously Rudy gets the win today.”
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