“I don’t give a s**t” – Mike Malone suggests Suns owner DESERVED shove from Nikola Jokic

The Denver Nuggets’ head coach Mike Malone went didn’t hold back when talking about Phoenix Suns’ owner being shoved by Nikola Jokic.

“I don’t give a s**t” – Mike Malone suggests Suns owner DESERVED shove from Nikola Jokic

Nuggets' Head Coach Mike Malone and Nikola Jokic

The Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets faced off in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series on Sunday. While the Suns took a narrow 129-124 victory to level the series, the game was overshadowed by an altercation in the second quarter.

With about 2 minutes 36 seconds remaining on the clock before the halftime break, the ball went out of bounds and the Nuggets were awarded the possession. Mat Ishbia, the Suns’ owner, held onto the ball to ensure his players had to set up defensively. Jokic ran into the stands and tried to retrieve the ball from Ishbia, but after he refused to let go, the Nuggets superstar proceeded to shove him and take the ball. Ishbia flopped upon taking the light elbow and pretended to fall. Jokic was awarded an unsportsmanlike technical foul for his actions.

YouTube video

The Nuggets’ head coach, Mike Malone was asked about the same in a post-game interaction with the media. Malone said, “I’m still not sure what happened, I haven’t seen a video of it. I think it’s crazy that Nikola [Jokic] got a technical foul in that situation. He’s going to get the ball and some fan is holding onto the ball like he wants to be a part of the game. Just give the ball up man!”

FS Video

Malone then went on to say, “They deemed Nikola doing something excessive and gave him a tech. I still don’t really understand it.” Malone was then told by the reporter that the fan was none other than the Suns’ owner, Mat Ishbia. To this, Malone replied, “I don’t give a s**t…I really don’t care.”

Related: “F**ked around and found out” – Nikola Jokic SHOVES Suns owner who flops embarrassingly

Phoenix Suns edge past the Denver Nuggets 129-124

Mike Malone and Nikola Jokic
Malone and Nikola Jokic

While the altercation between Nikola Jokic and Mat Ishbia might’ve ended without any more trouble, the controversy won’t end anytime soon. The NBA rule book states that players should be ejected for entering the stands. While the matter is up for interpretation as Jokic entered the stands just to get the ball, there’s still uncertainty.

The Nuggets’ close defeat tied the series at 2-2 and they’ll head back to Denver for Game 5. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker put immense pressure on the Nuggets, scoring 36 points each. Booker added 11 assists and six rebounds while Durant added six assists and 11 rebounds. Landry Shamet also played a key role, contributing 19 points as the Suns secured a narrow victory against their rivals.

Despite Nikola Jokic’s historic heroics (53 points, 11 assists, and four rebounds), the Nuggets were unable to overcome the Suns. Jamal Murray came closest to supporting Jokic with 28 points, seven assists, and five rebounds of his own. Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon also contributed 11 points each to the Nuggets’ tally, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win.

Game 5 between the Suns and the Nuggets goes down on Monday and will break the gridlock. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Jokic post this incident. Stay tuned for all the answers.  

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