Nikola Jokic drummed up conversation when he openly criticized what he later dubbed “not real” Denver Nuggets fans.
The team was booed in its home opener, which they wound up winning in overtime, largely because of Jokic’s 35-15-10 performance for yet another triple-double.
The Nuggets rallied from down 23 to beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 141-135, but fans had made their displeasure known.
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“We got booed at our first home game, and I think those fans who booed us, they don’t need to come anymore,” Jokic said postgame Saturday. “If you guys follow us, you know that we never quit, and we’ve come back from much worse situations. So if they ask me, they are not welcome anymore.”
After a loss on Monday night, Jokic doubled down.
“I’m sticking to what I said… I think they are not real fans,” he said.
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Jokic said he had “never” heard players being booed by their own home crowd.
The Nuggets are three years removed from their lone NBA title, and they finished with 50-plus wins in each season afterward.
The defense in the early going this season, though, is a cause for concern. They’ve allowed 141 and 134 points in back-to-back games, and in their first game of the season, they lost 96-84 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. At the very least, it’s a rather inconsistent bunch to start.
Jokic is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.