After Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone delivered a snide remark on the officiating in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, his star big man Nikola Jokic was a little more diplomatic.

As reported by Mike Singer of the Denver Post, the two-time All-Star said the Nuggets also shot themselves in the foot with the cheap fouls they committed. He added they should make sure the Los Angeles Lakers won’t get a shot off when they foul them.

The Lakers shot 35 free throws, making 28 of them for an 80% clip. The Nuggets, on the other hand, only took 23 shots from the charity stripe, making all but three of them for 87%. The Purple and Gold, however, had 17 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, getting 14 points, including 13 from LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Nuggets committed a total of 28 fouls, only three more than the Lakers.

Jokic played 36 minutes in Game 4 and was hampered by foul trouble in the second half. He only scored 16 points for the Nuggets, his lowest total in the series, while adding seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

The alleged discrepancy in free throws in the series has been a hot point of debate for the Nuggets, especially when the Lakers were awarded a whopping 24 free throws in the second quarter alone in Game 1. But numbers show that things are actually close. How close? Both teams are averaging 28.2 attempts from the line after four games.

Still, Jokic's Nuggets teammate Jamal Murray sneaked in some complaints on the officiating:

“I did get fouled on a few. We can see the replay clearly.”

Follow ClutchPoints on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook. We can also be found on Flipboard where you can subscribe and follow us. Get more on the Nuggets.

All of our NBA content can be found on the NBA section of the ClutchPoints home page here. For all of our college basketball content, click here.

Follow NBA games live by downloading the ClutchPoints App and heading to the scores tab under the NBA section.