Nikola Jokic drops ultimate reaction to OKC fans chanting free throw merchant at him
During Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals between the OKC Thunder and the Denver Nuggets on Monday, fans at the Paycom Center tried their best to throw Nikola Jokic off his game. Their tactics included chanting “free throw merchant” every time Jokic stepped up to the charity stripe.
When asked about it during the postgame presser, the Serbian superstar claimed that he did not pay much attention to the hostile crowd.
“To be honest, I didn't hear that. But that's kinda funny,” he said.
OKC guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is often associated with drawing fouls and frequently making trips to the charity stripe. Since the start of the 2023–2024 season, SGA has attempted more free throws than Jokic in six of their seven matchups. In the lone exception, both had the same number of attempts.
Further, the crowd’s strategy to rattle Jokic didn’t work. He delivered a monstrous performance, recording 42 points, 22 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 ‘stocks’ (steals + blocks). His historic outing led the Nuggets to a 121–119 victory over the top-seeded Thunder, taking an early 1-0 advantage in the series.
Nikola Jokic approached Game 1 with an aggressive mindset
During the Denver Nuggets’ first-round series against the LA Clippers, Nikola Jokic wasn’t required to be a high-volume scorer. Over the course of the seven-game series, he surpassed his regular-season scoring average (29.6 ppg) only once — a 36-point performance in a Game 4 victory.
Otherwise, he was relatively quiet, averaging just 24 points across the series. However, Jokic’s role has shifted significantly in Game 1 of the ongoing round.
Nikola Jokic stepped up and fulfilled the more aggressive mindset as the Nuggets needed an assertive performance to pull off an upset.
During an on-court chat with Katy Winge after the win, Jokic said:
“I was a little bit not aggressive the right way and then I figured out I missed a bunch of shots, of course. But the team wants me to be aggressive. And I'm trying to I'm just trying to have the team to win the game.”
The change in approach is also a result of a more favorable matchup. Jokic appeared to be far more comfortable going up against the Chet Holmgren-Isiah Hartenstein duo than while facing Ivica Zubac.
With OKC having a stronger perimeter defence than LA, the likes of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, and Russell Westbrook could see a dip in their offensive production. As a result, Denver fans can expect Nikola Jokic to witness an increase in scoring in what is projected to be a long and competitive series.
