Peers Weigh in on Nikola Jokic Ejection

The Denver Nuggets got their second win in a row last night after defeating the Chicago Bulls on the road despite Jamal Murray being sidelined. However, the big story of the night was Nikola Jokic getting ejected. Jokic was ejected for arguing a non-call with referee, Mousa Dagher. Even opposing fans were upset by the ejection and what is more egregious is that it was Serbian Heritage Night. Many feel a technical foul was warranted, but an ejection was too much. After the game, many peers had their own two cents about the situation.

Nikola Jokic Ejected for Second Time This Season

Nikola Jokic’s Comments 

After the game, Jokic had some interesting comments.

“I’m just happy that we didn’t play in Serbia, this game. It’s could’ve been really fun to see how it would be handled,” Jokic told reporters with a smirk on his face.

Head coach, Michael Malone also addressed the situation and had his own take.

“[The referee] just felt the language that was used warranted an ejection,” Malone said, via The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry. “A one-tech ejection which I was very shocked at. And when I heard what [Jokic] said, I said ‘I don’t understand the problem because when I grew up that was a term of endearment in my house.’”

Even the Chicago Bulls’ announcers were appalled at the decision to boot Jokic out of the game. After all, fans did not spend their hard earned money to come see referees officiate an NBA matchup. They came to see the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Michael Porter Jr., and of course, Nikola Jokic himself, put on a show. When watching the game, one could even hear the Chicago crowd boo the decision once it was clear what had transpired. The NBA seems to have an officiating problem brewing. It would behoove commissioner, Adam Silver, to address it before it starts affecting the league as a whole.

Denver’s Success This Year 

Despite missing their two stars, the Nuggets showed why they are the defending champions. They won by a final score of 114-106. Reggie Jackson stepped up as he has done all year. He led the squad with 25 points and six assists. Other key contributors included rookie, Julian Strawther, who poured in 16 points coming off the bench, Michael Porter Jr., who had 17 points and seven rebounds, and Aaron Gordon who finished with a respectable 14 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

The Denver Nuggets currently have a win-loss record of 16-9 and reside in the fourth seed of the Western Conference. However, it was also around this time last year when the team started heating up and eventually powered their way to the number one seed in the West. The Nuggets have many home games coming up and just survived one of the more brutal stretches of their schedule. They still possess one of the more potent offenses in the league. If their second unit can start coming around, Denver could very well find themselves back in the same position as last season.