"Derrick white needs to cut his nail" - NBA fans erupt as Nikola Jokic bleeds heavily after nasty scratch in intense Celtics clash

Nikola Jokic is arguably one of the best players in the NBA, and teams have been known to do everything they can to prevent him from being at his best. However, the Celtics may have taken things a bit too far. Footage reveals that the Serbian center was scratched into bleeding — allegedly by Derrick White — during the clash between the two contenders on Sunday.

Jokic, renowned for his ability to handle physical confrontations, is among the toughest players in the NBA. He has broken the "soft" stereotype frequently linked to European players in the league. However, one would prefer not to become desensitized to bleeding on the court due to a scratch from an opponent.

NBA fans have reacted to the incident on X (formerly Twitter), with many pointing at the need for a regulation on clipping nails amongst NBA players to avoid such bruises.

Some of the most interesting observations and reactions can be found herein:

"Nah the NBA needs a fingernail length rule this is insane" reacted a fan, shocked at the scratch inflicted on Nikola Jokic.

"Derrick White needs to cut his nail" tweeted a fan, blaming the Celtics guard for the damage dealt to Jokic.

"Pretty soon players are going to be playing in sets" joked a fan, remarking on the nail length that could have gone into hurting the Nuggets center.

Unsurprisingly, the NBA community on X also took a dig at LeBron James, with fans claiming that the Lakers star would have drawn more attention and furor if such a scratch had been dealt to him instead of Nikola Jokic.

"Prob no foul called...Lebron would have called HR" tweeted a fan, mocking LeBron James' tendency to flop.

The common theme with the LeBron bashing appeared to be the lack of foul calls going Jokic's way.

Although the injury may not have been significant enough to result in a loss of time, it does show how physical teams are when attempting to restrict the MVP frontrunner. The fan concern isn't without reason, as the numbers suggest that Nikola Jokic receives fewer fouls than some of his peers.

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Nikola Jokic is only 10th in the NBA in free throw attempts per game

While data specific to foul calls drawn is inconsistent across the various statistical platforms available for the NBA, free throw attempts are a reasonable metric to look at regarding how frequently players have called in their favor.

Despite being one of the top 5 in time on possession of the ball and playing in a system that centers around him, Nikola Jokic is only 10th in the league for free throw attempts.

Jokic is at the free-throw line for Serbia. (Credits: Getty)

Jokic's 6.1 free throw attempts a game is considerably less than Giannis Antetokounmpo's 10.4 attempts a game or Anthony Davis's 7.6 attempts a game, looking at players with similar stature and positioning to Jokic. This is particularly relevant as the players above see much less of the ball than Nikola Jokic.

Conspiracy theories float in the NBA about star players known for drawing fouls receiving preferential treatment in call decisions. Although Jokic is a multi-time NBA MVP, fans often feel he doesn't get the same "superstar" treatment as other players of his caliber.

Today's incident, where a foul was overlooked without consequence, will likely fuel this ongoing debate.