Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic entered Monday's game against the Golden State Warriors averaging just a little under six free-throw attempts per game. During the game itself, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player had 18 attempts from the foul line, sinking each one of them. That did not sit well with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Golden State fans and NBA observers alike.
Warriors, NBA fans up in arms
“He’s right. It was awful to watch. Not Jokic’s fault bc they were giving him the calls but that flop on Steph’s ‘push off’ was gross to watch. And there was no flow to the game. That said warriors kinda let themselves get rattled by the refs,” Jay Caspian Kang said on X (formerly Twitter) after the Warriors' 120-114 loss to the reigning NBA champions.
Jokic earned the ire of some fans for his seemingly unconcealed dependency on the refs' whistles.
“Jokic LITERALLY was not trying to play basketball today lol he knew he didn’t have his A game so he flopped and flailed his way to the free throw line. Don’t think I’ll watch much NBA post Warriors core 3. Just not enjoyable night to night,” stated Tommy Gunn.
That's not to mention the offensive foul called on Stephen Curry on this play.
Others have also rallied behind Kerr speaking up about the perception that defense has been watered down in the league.
From X user @nikotaughtyou: “Wowwwwww Kerr finally grew a pair. I said this last week, it’s impossible to defend in this league. The offensive advantage is way too high and the players are already so skilled”
On the strength of all the trips he had to the free-throw line, Jokic ended up with 26 points despite shooting just 4-for-12 from the field. The Warriors were led by Andrew Wiggins, who came off the bench and fired 22 points, while Stephen Curry had 18 points and only one attempt from the foul line.
The Warriors, who had their five-game win streak snapped in the loss to the Nuggets, will look to get back on track on Thursday when they host Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
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