Why was Denver Nuggets player Nikola Jokic ejected?
NIKOLA Jokic won the 2020-2021 NBA MVP Award, averaging a monster 26.4 points per game, 10.8 rebounds a game, and 8.3 assists per game on the year. Jokic and the Denver Nuggets hosted the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, April 13, in Game 4 of their Western Conference Semi-final matchup. As playoff elimination was inching closer for the Denver Nuggets during Game 4 against the Suns, league MVP Jokic was ejected from the game with 3:52 remaining in the third quarter. Jokic took a wild swing in frustration at Suns point guard Cameron Payne. Following a lengthy review, Jokic received a flagrant 2 and was ejected from the, ending his night early and the Nuggets season. With Jokic out, the Suns went on to win 125-118 to advance to the Western Conference finals, completing a 4-0 sweep against Denver. 4 The Denver Nuggets were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs on June 13, after their 125-118 Game 4 loss against the Phoenix Suns Credit: AP  The resilient Nuggets tried to stay close, cutting Phoenix's lead to four points with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, but couldn't match the closing ability of Chris Paul and the Suns. Phoenix will play in their first West Conference Finals series since 2010, back when Hall of Famer Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire were the faces of the franchise. After the game, Jokic told reporters he "wanted to change the rhythm of the game" with a hard foul, and did not expect to get ejected. "I wanted to change the rhythm of the game, I wanted to give us some energy, maybe change the whistle a little bit, so I wanted to make a hard foul," Jokic said. We don't know. So I say sorry if I did because I did not want to injure him or hit him in the head on purpose. 4 Nikola Jokic was ejected in the third quarter after he took a wild swing in frustration at Suns point guard Cameron Payne Credit: Getty  "I thought honestly they would not eject me," Jokic added. After he was ejected, Jokic appeared to apologize to Payne. "I shouldn't do that. Of course it was my bad. I'm sorry," Jokic said. "But I cannot change it now. It happens." In the NBA, a flagrant 2 is defined as being "unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent." After completing the sweep of Denver, the Suns await the winner of the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers series. The Jazz are currently up 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 taking place on Monday, June 14, in Los Angeles. Utah finished the season as the #1 seed in the West, taking out the Memphis Grizzlies in the First Round, 4-1.