Article by David Istrate – Published Monday, December 22, 2025, 2:25 p.m. / Updated Monday, December 22, 2025, 2:27 p.m.
In less than 12 hours, Chris Finch (56) and David Adelman (44), the coaches of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets, were fined $35,000 for inappropriate language directed at referees.
It's already a third of the way through the current NBA season, and even though the regular season is long, the competitive spirit comes to the surface at times, especially in the derbies.
This also happened in the confrontations Minnesota Timberwolves – Oklahoma City Thunder (112-107) and Denver Nuggets – Houston Rockets (101-115).
Chris Finch and David Adelman fined $35,000 for abusive language towards referees
Coached by Chris Finch, the Timberwolves scored an important win over the defending champions, handing them their 3rd loss of the season. The home team's performance is all the more impressive given that they played without their head coach for a good chunk of the match, who was sent off.
From the first quarter, Finch reproached the referees for the manner of blowing the whistle, explaining to them that the Thunder players were fouling and not being penalized. To make his point clear, the 56-year-old technician used foul language and quickly received two technical fouls and was eliminated.
CHRIS FINCH EJECTED. 😳
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 20, 2025
On Sunday, December 21, the NBA announced that Finch had received a $35,000 fine for inappropriate language towards the referees and for not leaving the field immediately after being sent off.
Another spectacular matchup was between the Denver Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and the Houston Rockets, grouping with stars like Alperen Şengun and Kevin Durant.
After receiving a technical foul in the opening act, Nuggets coach David Adelman lost his temper in the 4th quarter, walked onto the court and began yelling at the referee: “You are terrible, man!“.
“WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU DOING!?”
David Adelman charged at a ref after not making a call 😳 pic.twitter.com/tuA3KY1rGU
— Underdog (@Underdog) December 21, 2025
The 44-year-old coach was immediately penalized with another technical foul, but continued to nervously follow the referee. Adelman eventually left the field and suffered the same fate as his colleague: a $35,000 fine.
Both teams are at the top of the NBA's Western Conference. The Minnesota Timberwolves, with a record of 19-10, are in 5th position, while the Denver Nuggets, with 20 wins and 7 losses, are in 3rd place.
