Why was Nikola Jokic ejected against the Bulls? Real reason explored

On Tuesday night, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets took on the Chicago Bulls. The reigning champions would play a majority of the game without the two-time MVP due to him being ejected.

Just before halftime, Nikola Jokic was ejected from Denver's matchup with the Bulls. It happened because he was arguing with a referee about a foul call. While going for a layup at the rim, he felt he was fouled by Nikola Vucevic.

After the shot didn't fall, Jokic proceeded to share his thoughts with the official the whole way down the floor. Once there was a stoppage in play, Jokic realized he had been given a technical foul and removed from the matchup.

Jokic ended up playing just 16 minutes on Wednesday, finishing with a stat line of four points, nine rebounds and six assists. Thanks to a strong performance from Reggie Jackson, the Nuggets were able to take down the Bulls by a final score of 114-106.

After the game, Jokic fielded questions about his ejection. He accepted that things like this happen, and is glad the game wasn't being played in his home country of Serbia.

"It is what it is," Jokic said. "I'm just happy we didn't play in Serbia this game. It could have been fun to see how it would be handled."

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How many times has Nikola Jokic been ejected in his career?

In a little over 20 games, Nikola Jokic has now been ejected from a game twice this season. The first instance was roughly a month ago in a game with the Detroit Pistons. Jokic was ejected for a similar reason on that occasion.

After pleading his case to the refs about a play where he felt he was fouled, the officials decided to remove the All-Star center from the game. In that game, head coach Michael Malone was tossed as well.

Following Wednesday's matchup against the Bulls, Jokic has now been ejected from a game nine times in his career. Most of the instances are centered around him engaging with referees about foul calls. Jokic's most notable ejection came a few years ago when he struck Markieef Morris from behind after being frustrated about a play.

The Nuggets have won both games that Jokic has been tossed from, but it's still something the star big man needs to be aware of. As the focal point of Denver's offense, they need him on the floor to operate at their best.