It is obviously far from the violent behavior of Draymond Green, who acted up again Tuesday night, but Nikola Jokic is with the interior of the Warriors, and Jalen Duren, the only player to have been sent off several times this season. Because in Chicago, the Nuggets pivot joined the locker room before the end of the match for the second time.
At the end of the first period, the MVP of the 2023 Finals called the referees for a foul, using overly flowery language. “Call the blame, asshole (motherfucker in original version)”he would have said to Mousa Dagher, reports ESPN.
The action continued and, as he returned to defense, the Serb took a technical foul and was immediately sent off, “for insulting the referee”, justified himself the arbitration body.
You can therefore be expelled after a single technical foul, depending on the terms used towards the referee.
Michael Malone would have wanted to sacrifice himself
Nikola Jokic also recognizes that he should not have used the term “motherfucker”, even if it is rarely punished with immediate expulsion. “Sometimes we don’t take a technical fault for that. I crossed the yellow line, I understand that, but this word does not always cross the line. This is how “he delivers.
In any case, Chicago fans booed his exit. It must be said that the Bulls organized a “Serbian Heritage Night” and that many Illinois fans came to see the MVP of the last Finals.
“I'm glad this match didn't take place in Serbia because it would have been fun to see how it would have all been handled…” jokes Nikola Jokic to conclude.
For his part, rejoicing at the victory despite this second half without his best player, Michael Malone was surprised by the suddenness of the decision and thinks he could have acted to protect his double MVP.
“Maybe I could have done better because, if he thinks he deserves a foul, I have to take the technical foul,” assures the Nuggets coach. “That’s my job as a coach, because I don’t want to put him in that position of being out. It's not good for him or the team. We need him, he knows it. We need to work on our communication with the referees and how to manage our frustration. »
| Nikola Jokic | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2015-16 | DEN | 80 | 22 | 51.2 | 33.3 | 81.1 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 7.0 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 10.0 |
| 2016-17 | DEN | 73 | 28 | 57.8 | 32.4 | 82.5 | 2.9 | 6.9 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 16.7 |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 75 | 33 | 49.9 | 39.6 | 85.0 | 2.6 | 8.1 | 10.7 | 6.1 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 18.5 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 80 | 31 | 51.1 | 30.7 | 82.1 | 2.9 | 8.0 | 10.8 | 7.3 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 20.1 |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 73 | 32 | 52.8 | 31.4 | 81.7 | 2.3 | 7.5 | 9.7 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 20.0 |
| 2020-21 ★ | DEN | 72 | 35 | 56.6 | 38.8 | 86.8 | 2.9 | 8.0 | 10.8 | 8.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 ★ | DEN | 74 | 34 | 58.3 | 33.7 | 81.0 | 2.8 | 11.0 | 13.8 | 7.9 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 27.1 |
| 2022-23 | DEN | 69 | 34 | 63.2 | 38.3 | 82.2 | 2.4 | 9.4 | 11.8 | 9.8 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 24.5 |
| 2023-24 | DEN | 23 | 34 | 53.9 | 31.2 | 77.8 | 3.4 | 9.4 | 12.8 | 9.6 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 28.2 |
| Total | 619 | 31 | 55.2 | 34.7 | 82.6 | 2.7 | 8.0 | 10.6 | 6.8 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 20.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
