Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia seemed to have buried the hatchet.
Before Game 5, the Serbian center came up to Ishbia and offered him a peace offering in the form of a basketball. The two shared a side hug before Jokic went back to warming up on the floor.
But apparently, the Joker was eyeing more than just water under the bridge with the move. The Nuggets star joked he was eyeing some monetary compensation, too.
“I don't have nothing against him,” said Jokic. “…Just wanted to make fun at least a little bit. And I was hoping he's gonna pay my [$25,000] fine, but nah.”
"I just wanted to make fun at least a little bit. And I was hoping he's gonna pay my [$25,000] fine, but nah."
Nikola Jokic on giving Mat Ishbia a basketball before Nuggets-Suns Game 5 🤣pic.twitter.com/z20DZr1Pxc
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 10, 2023
Nikola Jokic managed to sidestep a suspension for his in-game shove of Mat Ishbia in Game 4, but was slapped with that $25,000 fine he tried to cheekily get the Suns owner to cover.
Twitter had a field day trying to adjudicate whether or not Ishbia had flopped after taking the light shove from the Nuggets star. But even a playful nudge from a 7-foot, 280-pound giant like Jokic could feel seismic to a man over a foot shorter and a hundred pounds lighter.
But if Mat Ishbia wasn't willing to front the tax imposed on him before the game, he for sure wouldn't do it afterwards as Jokic spearheaded the Nuggets to a 118-102 win. The two-time MVP poured in 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists to shove the Suns into a 3-2 hole on the brink of elimination. Maybe Mat Ishbia should have paid that fine to throw him off.
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