Nikola Jokic wasn’t happy with Denver Nuggets fans on Saturday night, despite leading his team to a remarkable comeback victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Nuggets erased a 23-point deficit to secure a 141-135 overtime win in their home opener, but Jokic had some strong words for supporters who booed the team during its early struggles.
“Yeah, I’m actually so glad that you mentioned that because we got booed in the first home game,” Jokic said, according to BasketNews.
“I think those fans who boo us, they don’t need to come anymore. Because if you guys follow us, you know that we never quit, and we came back from much worse or similar situations. So if you ask me, they’re not welcome anymore.”
Denver struggled throughout the opening three quarters, trailing by as many as 23 points before entering the fourth quarter down 19.
However, the Nuggets turned things around in the final period, outscoring New Orleans 37-18 to force overtime.
Jamal Murray finished with a game-high 42 points, while Jokic recorded 35 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks in 43 minutes.
When asked whether Denver had simply waited too long to increase its intensity, Jokic rejected the suggestion.
“No. To be honest, it’s not like we didn’t turn it on,” he said. “Sometimes nothing goes your way. They’re making shots, you’re not making shots.”
“It was just bad energy, and it’s really hard,” Jokic added. “It needs a couple of minutes to go by so you can get out of that bad energy and get on the right way.”
Despite criticizing sections of the crowd, Jokic made it clear that he still expects fans to get behind the team.
“Yes. They should support us,” he added.
The victory also saw Jokic reach another historic milestone, recording his 222nd combined regular-season and playoff triple-double.
That moved him past Russell Westbrook’s previous mark of 221, although Westbrook still holds the official regular-season record with 209.
But while the achievement added another chapter to Jokic’s career, his postgame comments made it clear that the reaction from Denver’s home crowd was still on his mind.
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