The officiating has been a big talking point in the Western Conference Semifinals between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The spotlight was on the officials once again in Game 4, with a clip of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic being officiated differently going viral.
It’s crazy how differently SGA and Jokic are officiated 💀 pic.twitter.com/MK6XlNE6Xh
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) May 11, 2025
NBA fans had some interesting reactions to the clip.
“Only delusional OKC fans will continue to deny how lopsided SGA’s whistle is,” one fan called out the Thunder fanbase.
“Jokic became so great in the league that he’s starting to not go get foul calls like Bron and starting to complain like Bron lol,” a fan thinks Jokic is now being treated the way LeBron James is.
“Not the best clip. Shai was on his last step. No debate. Jokic did a quick gather after the bump. These are always 50/50 depending on the ref,” one fan feels this was the wrong clip to use for this argument.
“I would’ve been frustrated too…this one was *really* conspicuous,” a fan doesn’t blame Jokic for being frustrated.
“These refs are idiots. Or Bribed. Or instructed by Adam Silver to make these blatantly partisan calls,” one fan unloaded on the officials.
It should be pointed out that Jokic did get to shoot two free throws there. The officials just did not count the basket, as they did with Gilgeous-Alexander on the play before.
Jokic ended up with 14 free-throw attempts in Game 4, while Gilgeous-Alexander was at 12. There wasn’t much to separate them when it came to trips to the line in this game, and that’s been the case for the series as well.
Gilgeous-Alexander has shot 37 free throws in the four games, while Jokic has shot 36. You could argue, though, that the Nuggets’ star should have even more attempts, with how physical the Thunder have been when defending him. They have made life very difficult for him, and the numbers show that.
Jokic is averaging 26.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 39.1% from the field and 21.4% from beyond the arc. The 30-year-old has shot less than 35.0% from the field in the last two games and is struggling at the moment.
Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, is doing a bit better on the efficiency front, but the three isn’t falling for him either. The 26-year-old is averaging 27.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 21.1% from beyond the arc.
This series was billed as an epic clash between the top two MVP candidates of this season. Neither has been as great as you’d have expected, though. Jokic was incredible in Game 1 with 42 points to go with 22 rebounds, while Gilgeous-Alexander impressed in the opening two games, but that’s about it. Both defenses have stepped up and deserve a lot of praise for slowing down these two.
The Thunder and the Nuggets are now tied at 2-2 after the former beat the latter 92-87 in Game 4 on Sunday. The Thunder reclaimed home-court advantage with the win and have to be slight favorites at the moment.
The team that wins Game 5 in a 2-2 series tends to go on to win the series more often than not, so this upcoming contest at Paycom Center on Tuesday at 9:30 PM ET is a pivotal one.
