The Chicago crowd was excited to see reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic play his one game of the season in the city, with the team even branding the game as Serbian Heritage Night. However, the referees ruined that experience by ejecting Jokic in the first half of the game for complaining about a no-call.
Jokić ejected after this no-call 😮 https://t.co/qjXDCLdA7z
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 13, 2023
This is a preposterous call to make. NBA refereeing has been on a serious downturn in recent years, but ejecting Jokic for complaining about a call is just not sound at all. Jokic wasn’t even on a technical already that the referee would have no choice but to send the two-time MVP out of the game for a second technical. Jokic allegedly said ‘call the f***ing foul’ before being ejected.
Nikola Jokic was ejected from tonight's Nuggets-Bulls game with 1:08 left in the second quarter for arguing a no-call.
Jokic to the official: "Call the fucking foul."
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) December 13, 2023
The Bulls crowd was full of people who came to see the Serbian center ball out on Serbian Heritage Night.
“Chicago is home to the largest population of Serbians outside of Serbia. Jokic plays there once a year. What a shame for him to get ejected for THAT.”
Chicago is home to the largest population of Serbians outside of Serbia. Jokic plays there once a year. What a shame for him to get ejected for THAT ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/ihbzIQGYmo
— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) December 13, 2023
Those fans were robbed of a proper game because a referee got his ego hurt. Given the ludicrous calls we saw during Lakers vs. Mavs as well, it seems referees need to evaluate how they’re approaching games. Some fans have even said referees are getting drunk with power, and we’re seeing it ruin games.
The Nuggets Managed To Win Without Nikola Jokic
The ejection led to a Bulls crowd that came to see Nikola Jokic play and watch their team lose their 17th game of the season while not even being able to see the best player in the world do the damage. The game ended 114-106 in Denver’s favor, with Reggie Jackson going off for 25 points. Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Julian Strawther, and Christian Braun all got into double digits to make this a team effort.
The Bulls are still without Zach LaVine but saw another great game from Coby White who had 27 points. Nikola Vucevic made the most of Jokic not being in the game and ended with 26 points and 16 rebounds, along with the loss.
Aaron Gordon joked about the Jokic ejection after the game, saying it was a test to see if the Nuggets could make it happen without Jokic on the court.
“We just want Jokić to get ejected as quick as he can … see if we can make it happen from there.”
https://twitter.com/AltitudeTV/status/1734780127370944964
The story ended well for the Nuggets ultimately, a team that was favored to win this contest. I do feel bad for Bulls fans who came to watch Jokic play basketball and saw their evening ruined by an overzealous referee.
The NBA should release what exactly Jokic said to the referee that warranted an ejection. This was a highly unusual situation and impacted the game for fans in the worst way possible.
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