The Denver Nuggets have had the deck stacked against them after their best player, reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, was ejected from their game against the Detroit Pistons in the first half. Before Jokic, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was also ejected controversially.
Nikola Jokic picked up his second technical foul and is ejected from the game. Wow. pic.twitter.com/DH8azMzIDn
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) November 21, 2023
Jokic was ejected as a result of two technical fouls that fans have deemed extremely soft calls by the referee. After giving Jokic his first foul, the referee would shortly eject Malone, who was clearly frustrated with the referee’s actions.
THIS IS THE SAME REF WHO T’D JOKIC
HE JUST THREW OUT MICHAEL MALONE pic.twitter.com/J7DRDEkUyo
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) November 21, 2023
Fans in Detroit weren’t happy with the referee’s decision to send Jokic to the bench permanently in the first half. Fans come to games to watch the players play, not the referees trying to make an impact in the game.
This referee took the joy of the game from many children in the Pistons’ arena who get a chance to see the Finals MVP play in their arena only once every season. The rulebook is what it is, but both the technical foul calls on Jokic were pretty soft and have put Detroit in a position to break their 11-game losing streak against the reigning champions.
Unfortunately, Detroit couldn’t capitalize and lost their 12th game in a row, with a 107-103 loss at home.
The Nuggets Look Unbeatable When Healthy
The Nuggets have had some tricky fixtures recently and taken some losses, but they’re still shining as the contenders in the West. They’re 10-4 so far this season and are battling for the No. 1 seed against the OKC Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. Given the recent emergence of those two teams, many would give the edge to Denver in a matchup because they have the best player in the world and just won a title.
Many believed the Nuggets offseason was really poor due to the departures of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, but an increased role for Christian Braun and the development of Peyton Watson has already made them marginally better. Watson, in particular, has the capability of being an extremely impactful player for the Nuggets, averaging 4.6 points and 1.8 rebounds this season with sensational defense.
The chemistry between established stars like Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is locked down pat. Michael Porter Jr. is still showing his swings in consistency, averaging a solid 16.6 points and 8.2 rebounds to start the season while understanding he could have an even greater contribution.
Jamal Murray is currently out with an injury and will miss a good chunk of time going forward, which has caused some offensive concerns for the Nuggets who have dropped two of their last five games. Nonetheless, this unit is such a well-oiled machine that Murray will be able to plug it back into place once he’s back.
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