Michael Porter Jr. Not Suspended for Leaving Bench During Nuggets-Clippers Skirmish

Despite leaving the bench during the skirmish late in the first half of Saturday's thrilling 101-99 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. won't be suspended for Game 5.

Per The Athletic's Law Murray, an NBA spokesperson confirmed the league won't suspend Porter.

The incident occurred near the end of the second quarter when Aaron Gordon and James Harden started the skirmish that wound up resulting in a total of six technical fouls being assessed between the two teams.

Porter left the bench to get involved in the fracas when he got grabbed by a Nuggets coach.

Porter was never that close to where the situation was happening, but he did make it from the bench into the paint area under the basket.

The NBA's official rulebook states that during any altercation, "all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench."

Any violations of the rule are "subject to suspension, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $50,000."

Speaking to reporters after the game, Porter explained he was unfamiliar with the rule and felt like he didn't make it that far onto the court before praising the efforts of the coaches who got him back to the bench area.

"I didn’t know the specific rule. I didn’t make it very far," Porter said. “That’s what a team is for. That’s what the coaches are for, to pull you back. It’s an intense game, an intense moment. I’d had a double foul with Powell earlier. And then to see my guys get in it like that, I’m just glad I didn’t make it very far and that the coaches and my teammates were aware."

It's the NBA's discretion to determine what constitutes the "immediate vicinity" of the bench area.

Ultimately, the finish to Game 4 was an all-timer that significantly overshadowed everything else in the game, including the skirmish.

Gordon, one of the six players who received a technical foul at the end of the first half, scored the game-winning bucket on a putback dunk off a Nikola Jokić miss when the ball left Gordon's fingertips at the absolute last possible second before the buzzer went off.

Game 4 was a terrific bounce-back effort from Porter, who was a non-factor in the previous game with just seven points in 35 minutes. He scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting in 42 minutes on Saturday.

If the Nuggets are going to win this series, they need Porter to keep playing at that level.

With the series tied 2-2 after Gordon's heroics, the Clippers and Nuggets will play the pivotal Game 5 at Ball Arena on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.