Whenever Nikola Jokic is on the court, he catches the eye of fans with his flashy passes and amazing ability to guide the Denver Nuggets to victory. But the game against the Miami Heat was a bit different. Although Jokic had a virtuoso performance as he recorded a triple-double, he made the headlines due to a heated fight with Markieff Morris.
During the final minutes of the game, it was already clear that the Nuggets will register a comfortable victory over the Heat. This certainly played a role in Morris already being frustrated and during transition play, he attempted to foul Jokic. He elbowed him which led to the play being stopped.
Jokic, who is usually not the type to get into fights, smashed himself into Morris when he was turned around. He was ejected from the game and rightfully so. Following this heated exchange between the players, many called out Jokic for losing his cool during the game.
After the game, Jokic talked about it and explained his side of the story. According to a Reddit post, Jokic said:
“I thought it was a dirty foul, a dirty shot. Me and Bam were fighting the whole night. It was a nice fight. I think you can play fair and still play aggressive and fight with your guy. But I thought it was a little over the edge. That’s why I reached.”
It was certainly an action the Joker took when he was angry and he apologized for his actions after the match.
“I don’t know who showed me the clip but [Morris’] head snapped back. I felt really bad.”
Jokic on shoving Morris: "I don't know who showed me the clip but [Morris'] head snapped back. I felt really bad."
(via @NotoriousOHM) pic.twitter.com/GdlWbSEFsd
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 9, 2021
Fortunately, both players walked out of the fight unscathed. Because if things had further boiled over, it could have turned into an even uglier fight.
With Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray currently out of the team, the Nuggets rely heavily on the reigning MVP to help the team win games. He cannot let his emotions get the better of him.
Jokic might have been lucky today that he was ejected when the game was already in the Nuggets’ pocket. Had he done that a few minutes earlier, it could have cost the team a crucial victory.
You can watch the entire fight between the two players here:
