Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon had a lot to say about the state of officiating from Game 2. While addressing the physical nature of the game, Gordon took a shot at the referees for not calling timely fouls on his teammate, Nikola Jokic.
As per ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne, the forward believed that the Nuggets’ star player was being fouled a lot more than the whistle would convey. He said:
“If they’re going to let ’em push ’em and shove ’em or two hands on ’em, root ’em out, the knee, you got elbows and all types of stuff they’re doing to ’em, that’s not necessarily legal. There’s not much that you can do. Jok got to play through it if they’re not going to call it, they’re not going to call it. But they’re fouling the guy.”
“They’re calling the second foul almost every time. They’re fouling Joker first, and then Jok is reactionary, and they do get the second foul a lot of the times,” he added, addressing the delayed and missed foul calls.
“But they’re fouling him, point blank, period throughout the game. You can’t call every foul or you’d be calling a foul every single play, but they’re fouling him.”
Gordon mentioned that he had a conversation with Jokic and asked him to be more physical and play through it, but he also added that OKC was a “handsy” team.
Regardless, the forward acknowledged that the loss in Game 2 couldn’t be attributed solely to officiating. Considering that the 106-149 scoreline is indicative of far worse performances on Denver’s part, the team certainly has some strategizing to do.
The Oklahoma City Thunder started off the game all guns blazing and left Denver dazed for the entirety of the second half. With an 87-point performance just in the first half, the Nuggets were completely thrown off their rhythm.
To make matters worse, their star player, Nikola Jokic, fouled out of the game in the third quarter as frustrations flared on the court. The 7x All-Star, who had dominated Game 1 with 42 points and 22 rebounds, faced challenges in this matchup.
He ended the night with 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on 6-16 shooting.
To Gordon’s point, Jokic, a center who primarily operates on the low block on offense, only went to the charity stripe five times. He shot 3-5 free throws on the night. To make matters worse, he committed six turnovers as well. His early exit was a significant blow to the Nuggets’ efforts to mount a comeback.
Nikola Jokic is called for the moving screen and is fouled out, late in the 3rd quarter (with a replay) pic.twitter.com/vhPE2twyFf
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 8, 2025
Other than Jokic, the Nuggets saw underwhelming performances from virtually everybody on the floor. Aaron Gordon, who had been Denver’s hero in Game 1, came up with a 10-point display on 3-12 shooting from the field.
The best player on the floor for Denver was technically Russell Westbrook, who recorded a team-high 19 points on 5-11 shooting, while racking up five assists.
The loss sees a lot of momentum going in OKC’s favor as they showed a distinct intention to win. With the series heading to Denver for Games 3 and 4, the Nuggets will hope to take control by capitalizing on their home-court advantage.
