“He’s Expecting Cheers For Losing to G-League Warriors?”: Nuggets Fans Turn Against Nikola Jokic For Doubling Down on His Attacks on Ball Arena Crowd

For the second straight game at Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets heard boos from their own crowd. After Monday’s 134-114 loss to a shorthanded Golden State Warriors team, Nikola Jokic once again made it clear that he was not happy with the reaction from the home fans.

“I'm not used to that, fans booing their own team,” Jokic said during the postgame interview. “I don’t think they are real fans.”

His comments quickly sparked debate online, with some fans questioning why Jokic expected support after such a poor display by the team.

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“He’s expecting cheers for losing to the G-League Warriors?” @boxstyle67 said.

In Denver’s first home game, the Nuggets fell behind by 23 points in the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans, leading to another round of boos. Denver eventually completed the comeback, but Nikola Jokic still took issue with how the crowd behaved.

"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. "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."

Stephen A. Smith criticizes Nikola Jokic for calling out hostile home crowd

Nikola Jokic’s frustration with Denver’s home crowd quickly became one of the bigger talking points around the league. Stephen A. Smith was among those who pushed back on the multiple-time MVP, arguing that fans had every right to criticize their team.

"Fans have a right to boo you. And the bigger point is, even though they booed, you know what else they did, Nikola Jokic? They stayed,” Smith said. “So they booed you, probably to inspire you to come back and do what the hll you did. As long as they didn't leave, why are you tripping?"

Jokic was able to help Denver erase a 23-point deficit against the Pelicans on Saturday, but things went very differently on Monday. In the 134-114 loss to Golden State, he finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists, a relatively quiet night by his usual standards.

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