Fuming Nikola Jokic Storms Towards Referee, Gets Penalised Along With Nuggets HC

The Denver Nuggets went head-to-head against the Sacramento Kings tonight. The Kings got the better of Nikola Jokic and Co. and beat them 102-98 in a thrilling finish. The game was a heated battle from the tip-off. And both teams went at each other to maintain a competitive edge. However, emotions got the better of 2-time MVP Nikola Jokić as he got called for a technical foul late in the third quarter.

The Nuggets were leading the Kings by 9 points with 4 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Jokic was unhappy about a call on the offensive end and was constantly chirping at the referee. The official eventually called a technical foul on Jokic after the Kings scored a basket on the other end. The Joker was livid after the call and charged aggressively towards the official to confront him. Fortunately, the official’s back was turned towards the charging Jokic because he was focused on Nuggets head coach Mike Malone. Malone started yelling at the official after Jokic got T’d up, leading to a technical foul on him as well.

Had the official seen Jokic charging toward him after the call, the 2-time MVP could have been ejected from the game. So, in a way, Malone’s outrage saved his superstar from a severe penalty. Jokic’s teammates tried to calm him down and stopped him from escalating the situation. Jokic kept following the official after the call but started walking to the bench before the referee turned towards him. While Harrison Barnes was shooting the free throws, Jokic walked back to the official to give him a piece of his mind. Luckily, the referee let go of the situation and did not call Jokic for his second technical foul.

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Was tonight Nikola Jokić’s worst game of the season?

The confrontation between Jokic and the official gave a slight edge to the Sacramento Kings for the remainder of the game. De’Aaron Fox and Co. muscled a comeback late in the third quarter and came out with a win over the defending Champions. The Joker had arguably his worst performance of this season. He finished with only 15 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds and was unable to lead his team to victory.

Jokic has been dominant all season, averaging 26.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 9 assists. He has become the new frontrunner to win the MVP trophy after Joel Embiid became ineligible because of the new 65-game rule. However, Jokic could not perform at an MVP level against the Kings and would want to erase tonight’s game from his memory.

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