DENVER—The Denver Nuggets spent much of their season battling with NBA referees and players were upset about the officiating in what will likely be the team’s undoing.
During the Nuggets’ Game 2 blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Michael Malone screamed at, Jamal Murray threw objects at and Aaron Gordon charged at referees. While there were no doubt some questionable calls that went against Denver. It was a tight contest still when Malone blew up and Minny quickly went on the run that began the blowout.
Malone’s issues with the refs in that case were about a tough call against Murray which he thought was a charge on Karl-Anthony Towns. But the coach’s issues with the officials goes back months, particularly when it comes to how soon-to-be three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is whistled. Malone and Jokic were thrown out of a November game in Detroit for voicing complaints against the officials. Joker was tossed a month later in a game at Chicago for using foul language to a referee, though the officials couldn’t really explain why they tossed him.
Those two incidents point toward the larger issue the Nuggets have had with the lack of free throws Jokic gets. Despite taking the third-most two-point field goals in the league, Jokic shot 5.5 free throws a game, which was the 26th-most. Knowing Jokic’s bruising playstyle which seems him in the paint and bloodied often, it seems improbable that the league’s last two MVPs that weren’t him—Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid—each get twice as many foul shots a game at 10.6 and 11.7 respectively. In fact, this season only 13.2% of the Nuggets points scored came from the stripe, the fifth-lowest mark in league history. Again, that’s bizarre considering the Nuggets shot the fewest threes in the league this season and only three teams took more shots at the rim.
“I think they’re just draped all over Joker. I think they’re just hacking him. They’re hacking,” Gordon said after Game 2 against the Wolves. “Yeah, and just not being able to communicate with the officials is frustrating as well. When you have to ask them a question and they don’t even look at you, they don’t even acknowledge you, very frustrating. And I think they’re hacking Joker. I think he’s been getting fouled all year. I don’t think he shoots nearly enough free throws, of what he should shoot. So yeah, it was just frustrating. I don’t like seeing my big fella be hacked with no calls.”
The Nuggets have shot more free throws in both losses against the Wolves. Jokic as a whole looks lesser than his normal stud self, likely in part due to Murray’s leg calf injury seriously slowing Denver’s attack.
Going back to the regular season there was also a soft flop called against Jokic, a rule that seemingly has gone the way of the dodo in the postseason. Steve Kerr also went out of his way to use Jokic as an example in calling out the NBA’s officials for giving too many free throws. There was also a bad call that really hurt Denver down the stretch and may be the reason they’re even playing the Wolves. The Nuggets against the refs have been a years-long battle, where Denver has swung from the worst officiated team in the league to the one benefiting most, according to the league’s own review.
At any rate, the Nuggets are upset with just about everything right now—refs and themselves—that tends to happen when you get your butt beat in.
