Add winning a coach’s challenge to the very short list of things that can get Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic fired up.
Jokic displayed about as much emotion as he’s ever shown on an NBA floor during the Nuggets’ Tuesday clash against the Phoenix Suns at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo.
The Nuggets were trailing 96-90 and were in the midst of a fourth quarter comeback with just over five minutes left in the game.
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon delivered a bounce pass to Jokic that went out of bounds along the baseline. The referees initially called it off Jokic, which sent the Serbian center into a rage as he demanded Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenge the call.
Nikola Jokic was BEGGING Michael Malone to challenge this 😂
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 6, 2024
The Nuggets ended up winning the challenge after the ball was determined to be off Suns wing Royce O’Neale. It’s hard to imagine Jokic anticipated any other result given how animated he got while requesting the challenge.
The Nuggets were able to complete the second-half comeback from 22 points down to force overtime. But Kevin Durant took over in the OT period with eight points to fuel a 117-107 Suns win.
Jokic scored 25 points on 8/18 shooting from the field to go along with 16 rebounds and 5 assists. But he also had a game-high 7 turnovers, which accounted for half of his team’s total tally.
It’s not the first time the usually mild-mannered Jokic let his emotions get the best of him this season. The Nuggets star memorably had a fantastic celebration after hitting a game-winner against the Golden State Warriors earlier this year (video here).
