“Happy that we didn't play in Serbia”: Nikola Jokic issues snarky response to ejection on Serbian Heritage Night
With Tuesday marking Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic’s lone trip to the United Center this season, the Chicago Bulls hosted “Serbian Heritage Night.” However, the officials didn’t seem to care about the celebration, as they ejected Jokic late in the second quarter, leaving the Serbian big man frustrated.
Jokic’s ejection occurred after he shouted at an official for a non-call on his layup attempt with 1:12 remaining in the first half. The two-time MVP felt that he was fouled on the play and let the referee hear about it, leading to an instant ejection.
After the game, Jokic was asked about the controversial call. He snarkily joked that both teams were lucky that the matchup wasn’t held in Serbia.
“It is what it is. I'm just happy that we didn't play in Serbia this game,” Jokic said.
“It could've been really fun to see how it would be handled.”
Serbians are known for their avid basketball fandom and take games very seriously. So, as Jokic alluded to, perhaps they wouldn’t have taken kindly to officials throwing out their country’s top star so easily.
Later in his postgame interview, Jokic called out referees for not officiating players fairly on a nightly basis.
“It is what it is. Some guys can say whatever,” Jokic said.
The officiating crew chief of Tuesday’s game, Mark Lindsay, was also asked about the incident postgame. However, he opted not to go into detail about what Jokic said.
“We don’t typically publicly get into exactly what a player said, but the language reached the standard for an ejection,” Lindsay said.
In 16 minutes, Jokic finished with four points, nine rebounds and six assists on 40.0% shooting.
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Shorthanded Nuggets defeat Bulls following Nikola Jokic’s ejection
Despite losing Nikola Jokic in the second quarter of Tuesday’s contest, the shorthanded Nuggets defeated the Bulls 114-106.
In addition to being without Jokic, the Nuggets were missing star point guard Jamal Murray, who was sidelined due to an ankle injury. Additionally, starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope didn’t play in the second half after sustaining a head contusion.
In the absence of three starters, Denver was led by veteran point guard Reggie Jackson, who recorded a team-high 25 points, two rebounds, six assists and five 3-pointers on 56.3% shooting. Meanwhile, the Nuggets had five players finish with at least 13 points.
“We had a couple of guys step up in a different position today. ... It's a good win for us,” Jokic said.
The Nuggets’ win marked their second straight, while the Bulls’ loss marked their second straight.
Denver (16-9) next hosts the Brooklyn Nets (12-10) on Thursday.
Chicago (9-16) next faces the Miami Heat (13-10) on the road on Thursday.
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