After the Denver Nuggets' overtime comeback win over the Pelicans on Saturday, Nikola Jokić directly called out the fans who booed the team at their home opener.
“We got booed at our first home game, and I think those fans who booed us, they don’t need to come anymore. 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.”
Jokić put up 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in Denver's first win of the season, and Jamal Murray had 42. It took a 52-27 run from the Nuggets in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The Pelicans are healthy and look better to start the season than in recent years, but although a win is a win, it didn't inspire confidence.
You would think that after Jokić's response on Saturday to the boos, and narrowly making it past the Pelicans, the Nuggets would turn around and play with more effort in their home game against the Warriors on Monday.
Nope.
There wasn't a chorus of boos in Denver's blowout 134-114 loss to Golden State, but if there had been, who could blame the fans after whatever it was that the Nuggets put out on the floor?
Nuggets aren't playing like a team that cares about winning
You may not be the kind of fan who likes to boo the Nuggets when you watch them live, even if they deserve it. That's understandable. Not everyone likes to show their disdain that way, but some fans choose to air their frustrations publicly. It's part of the game, and while players like Jokić don't want to hear it on their home floor, they have the power to change it.
Letting the 0-3 Warriors come to Colorado and leave with their first win changes nothing. Denver was down by four at the half, but instead of chipping away at the lead to start the second half, the Nuggets let Golden State outscore them 40-28 in the third quarter. The starters scored 16 points combined, while Steph Curry scored 17 alone.
It was another uninspired effort, so if Jokić doesn't want fans to boo (he doubled down after Golden State's loss on Monday, saying the fans who booed weren't "real fans"), then the Nuggets have to give them something to cheer for.
None of this means Denver is doomed at 1-2, but if this level of play continues, the Nuggets can kiss their chances of winning another title goodbye. Championship teams hold each other accountable, and that starts with David Adelman. It extends to the team's leaders, like Jokić, who shouldn't be satisfied with the effort that he's put forth.
Denver won't return to Ball Arena until next Monday, Nov. 2, when it hosts Portland. It has two games on the schedule between now and then: one in New Orleans on Wednesday and another in Phoenix on Friday. Jokić doesn't have to worry about hearing boos from Nuggets fans on the road, but if they come out flat against the Trail Blazers next week, the arena could sound like it did on Saturday.
Add us as a preferred source on Google