Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic found himself hitting the showers early during his team's blowout loss to the L.A. Clippers on Saturday after reacting to a foul call in a manner that the officials did not find too pleasing:
Jokic had posted 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists while going 7-of-15 from the floor before exiting.
On the year, Nikola Jokic is averaging 18.1 points, 10.2 boards, 7.4 assists, and 1.5 steals over 30.9 minutes per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor, 29.8 percent from three-point range, and 84.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Jokic is quickly ascending the ranks in the NBA and has developed into one of the league's best bigs.
The 23-year-old Serbian was originally selected by the Nuggets in the second round (41st pick overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft and is proving to be an absolute steal.
He came over to the NBA for the 2015-16 campaign and put together an impressive rookie campaign, registering 10 points, seven rebounds, 2.4 dimes, and a steal across 21.7 minutes a night.
Jokic then averaged his first double-double in his third season, recording 18.5 points, 10.7 boards, 6.1 assists, and 1.2 steals through 32.6 minutes per game, making 49.9 percent of his field-goal attempts, 39.6 percent of his long-distance tries, and 84.3 percent of his foul shots.
The Nuggets have risen along with Jokic, as they own the best record in the Western Conference at 21-10, as of this writing.
The Nuggets had won four straight prior to their loss to the Clippers on Saturday. They have won 11 of their last 14 games overall.
Denver will head on the road to take on the San Antonio Spurs on next Wednesday.