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[Saba Sports News] Nikola Jokic had a night he’d rather erase from memory on Wednesday.
The Denver Nuggets star struggled in a blowout Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their second-round playoff series.
Jokic put up a subpar line by his standards — 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists — before fouling out in the third quarter at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
To make matters worse, Jokic drew attention for a highly questionable play late in the third. While running up the court on offense, Jokic appeared to channel his inner pro wrestler, jumping on the back of Thunder center Jaylin Williams in the post and bringing him down in a tangled fall.
The officials called an offensive foul — Jokic’s fifth — and the ruling stood even after a challenge by Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman.
Moments before that, Jokic also seemed to get away with a light elbow to Luguentz Dort while contesting a three-point shot. At 284 pounds, Jokic’s takedown likely left Williams feeling more than a little sore.
Not that Jokic stuck around much longer — he picked up his sixth and final foul less than 30 seconds later.
It capped off a nightmare outing for the Nuggets. Alongside Jokic’s ejection and out-of-character antics, Russell Westbrook also received a technical foul earlier in the game as Denver unraveled in the face of Oklahoma City’s record-setting first-half onslaught.