Some NBA players were stunned by the blatant foul inflicted on Nikola Jokic during the Game Four series between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets.
Jokic was thrown for a tough foul on Cameron Payne late in the third quarter. Jokic got a blatant 2-foul that triggered the automatic ejection.
Players like Ja Morant and Trae Young could hardly believe the ejection. Morant called the league “soft” over the call.
The League considered Jokic’s contact with Payne to be excessive and over the shoulder.
“We saw wind-up, impact and follow-through, which led to unnecessary and excessive contact over the shoulders and also in the face.”
While fans and players in the league may not be fans of the call, saying that the league is softening by trying to protect their players seems like a reach.