CHICAGO — In the visiting locker room at the United Center Coliseum, Denver Nuggets backup center DeAndre Jordan jokingly called current NBA MVP Nikola Jokic the bad guy.
Sometimes," Jokic responded, "you have to be the bad guy." ”
Jokic was ejected for the second time in three weeks, this time in the Nuggets' 114-106 win over the Bulls. He was sent off with 1:08 left in the second quarter for arguing with referee Mussa Dagger over an unblown foul.
After making physical contact with Bulls center Nikola Vucevic and not receiving a foul call, Jokic turned to Dagger after missing a backhand layup. As the Bulls switched offense, Jokic voiced his displeasure. Dagger allowed Chicago to play the fast break and waited for the game to stop before adding a technical foul to Jokic before quickly ejecting him from the game.
Referee team leader Mark Lindsay told a reporter after the game that Jokic's language met the criteria for ejection.
According to one source, Jokic said, ", blow a foul." ”（motherf—er, call the f—ing foul）
Jokic admitted that his language was enough to be ejected.
Sometimes what I say doesn't even count as a technical foul," Jokic said. "That's just the way it is. I crossed the line. But sometimes that word doesn't cross the line. ”
Nuggets head coach Mike Malone is more focused on his team's heroic performance amid a manpower shortage than Jokic's fouling. Malone did say he was shocked by Jokic's ejection after a technical foul.
When I heard what he said, I said, 'I don't understand what's wrong with it, because in the family I grew up in, that's an intimate statement,'" Malone joked.
Jokic ended up contributing four points, nine rebounds and six assists in 16 minutes. It was his second expulsion in three weeks. During a Detroit game on Nov. 20, Jokic was sent off in the first quarter after arguing with the referee.
We won those two games, and maybe that's the key," Jokic said. "Maybe it's the right way. ”
The Nuggets also missed starting point guard Jamal Murray, while starting guard Kentaveus Caldwell-Pope played just 13 minutes with a head injury.
I'm starting to feel like he's overrated, we don't really need him that much," Malone joked.
The Nuggets went on the second day of back-to-back games with a 5-1 record.
Unfortunately," Malone said of Jokic's eviction, "but we won the game and that's all that matters." I don't want to spend time worrying about Nikola getting sent off because like Michael [Porter], Aaron [Gordon], Reggie [Jackson] and everyone on the bench, they deserve all the attention right now. ”
Jackson, who replaced Murray, scored a team-high 25 points for the Nuggets. Gordon (17 points) defensively played against Bulls scorer DeMar DeRozan and switched to center Vucevic in the second half. Julian Strauser (16 points) and Christian Braun (13 points) on the bench made important contributions in key moments.
I'm starting to feel that our young players are becoming more confident and comfortable," Malone said. "Look at this road trip that Julian just went through. Last night in Atlanta, tonight in Chicago. Played aggressively. You have to give Cristian Braun a lot of credit. He's not a point guard. Without Jamal, Christian became our de facto backup point guard. He did an excellent job for us. Payton's defense. The team sends Payton to the defense every night. He went and did well.
I think our young players are getting into a rhythm, they have some confidence and they're getting more and more initiative, which is pleasant. ”
But in Chicago, the second-largest ethnic Serbian city in the world after Belgrade, fans feel cheated. It was Jokic's only visit to Chicago this season. An inadvertent phrase brought his game to an early end.
Of course, you never want to be ejected," Jokic said. "But sometimes it's unavoidable. Malone said Jokic's interactions with referees need to be monitored. Malone added that he could do better to protect his star.
First of all, we will be stronger with Nikolai," said Malone. "Maybe I'll have to do better personally, honestly. Because if he's fouled or he thinks he's fouled, let me take the technical foul. That's my duty as a manager because I don't want him to be put in this position because it's not good for him and, more importantly, it's not good for the team.
We could talk all day about how good our substitutes were tonight. But in the long run, we need Nikolai to play. He knows it. We just need to figure out how to interact with the referee, communicate and deal with that frustration. I can definitely help with that. ”