There are ejectable offenses, and then there’s what Nikola Jokic did to end his night on Monday.
In the final minutes of a blowout win over the Miami Heat, the Denver Nuggets star responded to a hard foul from Markieff Morris by charging into Morris with his shoulder football-style. The cheap shot earned Jokic an immediate ejection and left Morris injured on the floor.
A stretcher was rolled onto the court for Morris, but the veteran forward was eventually able to leave under his own power. No one was angrier than Heat star Jimmy Butler.
Curiously, Morris was also ejected for his own hard foul, which was judged as a flagrant 2.
Jokic, whose MVP season last year also ended with an ejection, finished his night with 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Considering the nature of his foul, he’s likely facing at least a one-game suspension plus a fine.
The Nuggets eventually won 113-96. After the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra blasted Jokic for what he called a “dangerous, dirty play.”
“That was a very dangerous, dirty play,” Spoelstra said. “I thought Kieff took a foul and it was one of those fast break take fouls that he did with his shoulder. You might deem that a little bit more than just slapping somebody, but after I watched it on film, it was a take foul. That’s how I saw it, and the play after that, that’s just absolutely uncalled for.
“This whole thing could have been a whole lot uglier, if Markieff was actually facing Jokic. The fact that he had his back turned and he made a play like that, blind-siding him, that’s just a very dangerous play.”
Spoelstra added that no Heat players would be speaking with reporters.