‘Never seen this in the NBA’: Celtics-Nuggets delayed after hoop breaks in bizarre scenes

NBA fans couldn’t believe their eyes when the Celtics vs Nuggets game was stopped for 40 minutes in seriously bizarre scenes.

Robert Williams broke the hoop.

How many people does it take to fix a basketball hoop?

That was the question NBA fans were asking on Monday (AEDT) when the game between the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics was delayed by 40 minutes because of a crooked hoop.

It was a much-anticipated clash between the two No. 1 seeds in the western and eastern conferences approaching the halfway mark of the season.

Watch an average of 9 LIVE NBA Regular Season games per week on ESPN on Kayo Sports on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

The Nuggets led 110-97 midway through the fourth quarter when Celtics big man Robert Williams III completed a fairly regulation two-handed dunk.

Williams hung off the hoop with for several moments, but play continued for a couple of minutes until it was pointed out that the rim was slightly lopsided.

Robert Williams just broke the rim in Denver? pic.twitter.com/vyAvDbu4mW

— Cameron Tabatabaie (@CTabatabaie) January 2, 2023

An uneven rim has now delayed Nuggets-Celtics 28 minutes in Denver 😴

It’s currently a 110-97 lead for the Nuggets with 6:43 remaining.pic.twitter.com/87GO1qW5sq

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 2, 2023

Two ladders were brought out onto the court and a tradie’s leveller you would usually see at a construction site was even put on top of the rim to check it was flat.

The hoop couldn’t be straightened out so after an agonising wait, a new hoop was brought out, but even there was even some difficulty keeping the replacement hoop level.

How many people does it take to fix a hoop? Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

Is this an NBA game or construction site? Photo: Fox Sports.

NBA hoops have been strengthened since the days of Shaquille O’Neal breaking several backboards with slam dunks and fans couldn’t believe there was such a long break in play over a relatively innocuous dunk.

They couldn’t fix the rim so they are literally putting in a new one, never seen this in the NBA

— Shake4ndbake (@ItsShake4ndbake) January 2, 2023

Robert Williams III really lived up to his Time Lord nickname by halting the Boston vs Denver game after spoiling the rim with his dunk.

— Lee Seng Foo🇲🇾李成富 (@sengfoo88) January 2, 2023

Brand new rim isn't even close either 😂😂😂😂

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) January 2, 2023

This is why so many gyms all around the country have those "No hanging on the rim" signs posted everywhere.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 2, 2023

Star Celtics duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown weren’t impressed with how the situation was handled.

“It was just weird,” Taytum said.

“I don’t know exactly how long we waited but nobody expected it to be that long. We got two-and-a-half minutes to warm up.”

Brown said: “They spent all that time trying to fix it but when we came back it still looked like it wasn’t even level.

“It just wasted all that time. It has an effect on the game. That’s how injuries happen. Luckily that didn’t happen but that wasn’t good.

“The whole process was handled poorly in my opinion.”

Nikola Jokic is on fire. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

When the game eventually resumed, the Nuggets closed out a 123-11 win to keep top spot in the western conference standings.

Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had another triple double with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.

Jokic made 10-of-13 shots from the floor, including both 3-point attempts, and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line to produce his ninth triple double of the season.

The Nuggets improved to 24-12, stretching their Western Conference lead to one game with a 10th win in 12 contests and snapping Boston’s four-game win streak.

With AFP