Steve Kerr ‘disgusted’ by officiating after Nikola Jokic’s 18 FTAs

DENVER – Members of the Golden State Warriors rolled their eyes as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic headed to the foul line. He was about to attempt his 15th and 16th free throws.

Jokic finished the game hitting 18 free throws – a career high for him and an NBA record for most free throws without a miss on Christmas Day. He was also tied for second for most free throws for Christmas.

The Warriors weren't necessarily angry about Jokic's officiating on Denver's path to its 120-114 victory. The countless bloody scratches he suffers after each match are proof of the contact he maintains.

But Warriors coach Steve Kerr was unhappy with the way fouls were called throughout the league.

“I have a problem with the way we legislate defense outside of the game,” Kerr said. “We allow players to force their way to the foul line. If I was a fan, I wouldn't have wanted to watch the second half of that game. It was disgusting. It was just about “get the refs to call, but the refs I have to make these decisions…the players are really smart in this league. Over the last decade, they've gotten smarter and smarter. We've allowed the players to make them help, and they take full advantage of it.

“It’s a parade all the way to the free throw line, and it’s disgusting to watch.”

Jokic told ESPN that he doesn't actively think about selling a call when he feels contact. He emphasizes staying aggressive and hoping for the kickoff.

But Warriors guard Stephen Curry said the whistle will still benefit the player who can make sure the official sees there is contact, often by exaggerating.

“It's for guys who can sell calls. There's physicality to it. But it's tough because it's inconsistent sometimes on one side or the other,” Curry said. “In an evening like tonight, when you feel that there is physicality on one side and ticking on the other, it changes the complexity of the game. I'm not saying that we don't make mistakes , but consistency is the key to understanding how you can defend yourself.”

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said that as long as a player “sold” a call, rather than flopping, it was OK. In Jokic's case, Murray believes he should get even more calls, as the reigning Finals MVP is averaging 5.9 free throw attempts per game and shooting a career-low 79.5 percent. between them.

For Jokic, his presence at the foul line opened up his entire game on Monday, propelling him to his 26 points, including 4 of 12 on shooting from the field.

In the first half, Jokic attempted just four free throws and had just six points. It was in the third quarter that he found his game, making – and making – 10 more foul shots.

“I was missing shots, so I was just trying to be aggressive in a different way, maybe play a little more physical,” Jokic told ESPN. “It was just that kind of night. It was the best night I've ever had.”

Jokic's ability to foul against the Warriors was a welcome sight for the Nuggets. As of early Monday morning, the Nuggets ranked last in free throw rate at 73 percent and bottom 10 in foul shots attempted per 100 possessions.

Part of the reason the free throws are so low, Jokic said, is that the Nuggets haven't been aggressive enough to force their way into the paint.

“It seems like even in transition we're going for the extra 3 points, so we're not giving ourselves the opportunity to get to the line,” Jokic told ESPN.

Getting the bonus early allowed the Nuggets to live at the line – shooting 32 free throws to Golden State's 23, stopping the clock on several occasions and settling their defense.

The Nuggets held Curry to 18 points on 7-of-21 shooting and Klay Thompson to just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting, with all of Thompson's shots coming from 3-point range.

Denver scored 20 points to Golden State's eight. Over the previous 10 outings, the Nuggets were in the bottom five in fast break points in the league.

“It starts with defense and rebounding, and then guys give it and run,” Denver coach Michael Malone said of Monday’s turnaround. “Or if you're not getting the ball, go to the corners so guys have more space to operate. That's how we want to play, and we were able to do that at a high level tonight.”