Australian NBA star Joe Ingles was involved in a heated exchange with Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jake Layman during Utah’s 128-116 win today.
Ingles got a technical after he took exception to the way Layman fouled him in the second quarter.
The 34-year-old, who finished with 16 points and a season-high three steals, got into the face of Layman with the pair exchanging words before Ingles’ teammates held him back to prevent a scuffle.
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Moments after receiving the technical foul, Ingles, a career 41 per cent three-point shooter, drilled a three right in the face of Layman.
The exchange between Ingles and Layman left many fans flocking to social media to react.
https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1474210217990578176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1474210217990578176%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-22113499482036546764.ampproject.net%2F2111242025001%2Fframe.htmlhttps://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1474210309522919428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1474210309522919428%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-22113499482036546764.ampproject.net%2F2111242025001%2Fframe.htmlhttps://twitter.com/millerjryan/status/1474211388688113671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1474211388688113671%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-22113499482036546764.ampproject.net%2F2111242025001%2Fframe.html
Meanwhile, superstar guard Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points for the Jazz, while big man Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Seven Timberwolves — comprising most of the team’s core — were inactive due health and safety protocols: Patrick Beverly, Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony Towns, Jarred Vanderbilt, Josh Okogie, Taurean Prince and McKinley Wright.
Minnesota made 17 3s and shot 38 per cent from long range, despite going cold in the fourth quarter.
At the other end, the Jazz were able to get whatever they wanted with a bevy of lobs, drives to the basket and wide-open 3-pointers. Utah shot 53 per cent from the field.
Meanwhile, Australian teen star Josh Giddey continued his hot run of form despite his Oklahoma City Thunder going down to title hopefuls Phoenix 113-101.
Giddey finished with 17 points on 7-17 from the field while adding six rebounds, two assists and one steal.
His teammate Shai Gilgeous Alexander had 29 points for the Thunder, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. The Thunder shot just 38.5 per cent from the field and 26.8 per cent from three-point range.
The Thunder proved a tough opponent for much of the night and rallied for a 48-45 halftime lead after trailing by as many as 15 points. Oklahoma City closed the second quarter on a 24-8 run.
“From where we have come from at the start of the year to now, 30 games later, you can definitely see improvements,” Giddey said. “Earlier in the year that 15-point lead would have gone to 30. Now we are able to kind of control those leads and weather the storm.
“You’ve got to take positives out of games like this … We fought our way back.”
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