Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone and his star Nikola Jokic were both ejected by referee Rodney Mott on Sunday after Jokic was pushed to the ground without a foul called. Malone ran out onto the court to protest the non-call, while Jokic protested after play was stopped.
Nikola Jokic questionably ejected from Nuggets game for yelling at a referee
Nuggets coach Mike Malone was also ejected, and that one was certainly deserved.
It looked like there was some contact against Jokic, although he might have exaggerated his sprawl into the baseline. Usually, coaches aren’t that angry without a series of perceived slights and bad calls, not an individual one. Given that, there may be more backstory here.
But while Malone’s ejection is understandable — you can’t run onto the court and make contact with a referee to yell at him — Jokic’s makes less sense. It doesn’t appear that he did anything other than yell at the referee, something that would warrant a technical foul but not an ejection with no prior warning. Don’t be surprised if that ejection is reviewed by the NBA.
Either way, this is great news for the Lakers, who lead by 22 points at halftime, and bad news for anyone else hoping for an enjoyable basketball nightcap.
