Nikola Jokic ensured tensions were brewing with a sardonic gesture of motivation before ejections were tossed around like Thanksgiving side dishes in Detroit.

“Hey, wake up,” Jokic told a referee after disagreeing with a lane violation call early in the Nuggets’ game Monday night. It was caught on broadcast video.

“Wake up. Wake up,” – He said it again, clapping as if he were supporting a colleague. Late in the first half, he was given his first technical foul, which led to his disqualification.

During Denver’s equally grueling five-game road trip this week, Jokic’s complaints about refereeing became a recurring theme. This sparked a fresh round of discussion about how referees handle the two-time MVP and if they give him enough leeway in the post.

“That’s normal,” Jokic told The Denver Post when asked about opponents not getting whistled for physical defense. “Seems like some guys are getting more beneficial calls. Some guys are not. And that’s normal. And some guys can say a little bit more. Some guys can’t. And that’s normal. I accept it.”

On the one hand, whining is usually associated with losing, and during the height of this multi-game spat with referees, the Nuggets were deep in their first losing season of 2023–2024. Jokic reached five fouls early in the second half in a blowout defeat in Detroit the day before he was sent out. Calls and no calls infuriated him frequently, to the point that one possession after an offensive foul call he disagreed with, he committed an imprudent flagrant. Friday night in Houston, before to the start of the second half, Jokic engaged in a discussion with an official close to the scorer’s table. During their exchange, Jokic demonstrated his point by placing both of his hands on Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s back. Celebrities often argue more vehemently than regular players with officials. Ask Luka Doncic, a buddy of Jokic’s.

However, it would be foolish to overlook the recent development of defenders attempting more deliberately to handle Jokic’s post-ups more forcefully. Whether it’s Cleveland’s intimidating double-big lineup led by Jarrett Allen or renowned bulldoggish wing P.J. Tucker, opponents are opposing arguably the best interior scorer in the NBA by imitating Jokic and doing the exact same thing: putting two hands on him, roughing him up, and daring the referees to call it. (To be fair to them, Jokic’s opponents have few other options.) After the Detroit game, Aaron Gordon said that he doesn’t hold it against Jokic when he becomes irritated.

“I don’t think there’s a good plan (to counter that defensive approach),” Malone said Wednesday. “You can go into the game, but you can’t have a premeditated attack. I mean, we’ve talked to the league for nine years about Nikola and how he’s being guarded. I think things improved as he became MVP, things improved as we became a team that was winning at a high level. And I think he started to get the respect of the officials. But every night’s a different night.

“You never know how the game is going to be called. Are they going to call it tight? Are they gonna let them play? And as players and coaches, we have to adjust to the whistle. You can’t go into every game expecting it to be called a certain way. And that’s just the way it is. It’s always been like that.”

Jokic attempted 15 total free throws in the first four games of Denver’s road trip, or 6.23 attempts per 48 minutes played. This is significantly less than his season average of 8.6 attempts per 48 minutes and far fewer than other MVP candidates who get a lot of usage (Joel Embiid 16.2, Giannis Antetokounmpo 14.8, Kevin Durant 11.1, Doncic 10.2). As of Sunday, Jokic leads the league in both touches (101.4) and post-ups (7.3) per game. Along with being among the league leaders in 2-point field percentage (63.8%) and points in the paint (17.1 per game), he also has a usage rate that is in the top 10 but an inconsistent foul-drawing percentage.

The obvious elephant in the room is that Denver’s low free-throw frequency is mostly a result of Jokic’s style of play. His vision of the floor, ability to direct cutters, make the impossible pass, or just the ability to draw double teams and find open players, are the foundations of an offensive style that emphasizes ball movement. He doesn’t have to depend on getting into foul trouble to score. He’s one of the most exciting players of his generation because of this.

However, he has also seemed to be a center who prioritizes scoring early in the season. Thus far this year, he has slightly increased his touches per second and dribbles per touch over previous year. He made 18.7 field goals on average in the first 15 games of 2022–23, up from 13.4 in the first 15 games of 2022–23. The more of a pure scorer he is, the more teams may feel like guarding him boldly is their only option. He is drawing fouls more often, but the calls aren’t going in.

Perhaps this is the point at which Jokic’s chances of leading the league in assists again tilt. In the first four games of this trip, he averaged 17.45 minutes per 48 minutes (compared to 12.49 minutes per 48 this season), matching a career-high of 18 in New Orleans. That ought to serve as a reminder of Jokic’s attacking effectiveness, especially in situations when he feels that he is at a competitive disadvantage.

Additionally, several of the incidents that set off the plays this week were off-ball ones: the Detroit lane violation, the Orlando opponent who tackled Jokic for a defensive rebound, and the Detroit team’s entanglement with Marvin Bagley III outside of the play.

However, this goes beyond just criticizing the referees. Teams are more inclined to match up with Jokic in a chippy manner if they see him responding to no-calls in the same manner as he did this week. (After the ridiculous no-call that occurred on the rebound, Jalen Suggs and an angry Jokic struggled to get up.) For years now, teams have been unable to come up with a strong defensive strategy to stop Jokic. The only way to keep him in check seems to be to agitate and remove him. It’s essential to have thick skin.

“I don’t try to talk to (the referees) usually,” Jokic told The Post, asked whether he thinks about when to pick his battles. “It just happened (in Detroit). It is what it is.”

In that area, Malone expressed full confidence in his center.

“You’ve gotta understand, me and Nikola, we’ve been together for nine years now,” he said. “And throughout those nine years, he’s proven to be very trustworthy. … I trust Nikola. He reads the game like no other, and if he’s getting flustered on the court, there’s a reason for that. … I can’t get thrown out. He can’t get thrown out. We have to find a way to deal with whatever adversity we may think we’re dealing with and stay in the game with our players to help them get through what they’re trying to get through. But Nikola’s a big boy, and I fully trust him to handle his business.”

When speaking with the media, Jokic and Malone have both stayed resolute in their efforts to avoid letting any officiating conflicts deviate into the realm of excuses. the’s most likely the best course of action in the situation. However, to observers, it seems like the reigning NBA Finals MVP is being continually hacked without being held accountable, and his latest responses haven’t been the most elegant Jokic.