NBA Reveals Controversial Explanation on Nikola Jokic Play

The NBA had a controversial ruling on their Last Two Minute Report

The NBA released their Last Two Minute Report on Saturday morning for Friday night's game between the Denver Nuggets and Brooklyn Nets, and it included a very controversial explanation for one Nikola Jokic play. With five seconds remaining in the game, Jokic and Day'Ron Sharpe seemed to get tangled up under the basket. No foul was called, but the NBA says one should have been called on Jokic.

"Jokic (DEN) grabs and pulls Sharpe's (BKN) left arm, affecting his positioning for the rebound. Sharpe does not initiate any illegal contact that dislodges Jokic from his position," The NBA wrote.

For reference, here is the play:

After a brief investigation I found the play Jokic gets his deep gash on his arm.

If you watch till the end you can see him wipe the blood on his jersey.

As you can see, no foul was called.

Didn’t affect the game thankfully, but it really is absurd the whistle Jokic gets. https://t.co/ZlWctvJRyN pic.twitter.com/JkgotfpK6x

— SportShorts (@den_shorts) December 23, 2023

As this account pointed out, this is also seemingly the play where Jokic got cut on his arm. Despite this, the NBA determined that it was actually Jokic who should have been called for a foul on the play, which has understandably been controversial.

This was the only missed call on the Last Two Minute Report, as the league determined every other call or non-call in the final two minutes was correctly ruled. These plays are always hard to officiate, as it's often unclear who initiated the contact when two players get tangled up. That said, the league has stated that Jokic should have been called for a foul on this play, despite coming away from in with a gash on his arm.

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