Apparently the Nuggets are getting the most favorable calls in NBA
Jan 22, 2024, 3:25 PM | Updated: 3:26 pm
A big topic of conversation throughout the first half of the Denver Nuggets season has been the officials.
Nikola Jokic was twice kicked out of road games against Eastern Conference teams as he disputed calls with the refs. Michael Malone also got the boot in one of those games. And in general, Denver’s whistle has not seemed to be that great as the team has voiced some displeasure to the league. Only four teams have shot fewer free throws than the Nugges, and though the team’s drive percentage is low, they’re constantly banging bodies in the paint.
These issues were further magnified when Jokic went to the line a career-high 18 times on Christmas against the Warriors. Golden State coach Steve Kerr ripped the league, officials and by proxy Jokic for the situation. The thing is though, Jokic is 23rd in the league with less than six trips to the line per game. His MVP contemporaries big men Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, each take about 12 free throws a game.
While many may quarrel with the way Jokic is whistled, one thing has changed. Denver went from the worst officiated team in the NBA according to the Last Two Mintue Report (L2M) from 2015 until February of 2023, to now the team benefiting the most by late-game missed calls. According to data compiled by bballytics.co, the Nuggets have benefited from 11 wrong calls in the L2M this season, more than any other team. Denver has only been hurt by two calls on L2Ms, which is also the best in the league.
We're halfway through the season, so here's a look at how affected was each team by wrong calls according to the L2M reports this season. pic.twitter.com/Y8ZDVXyAA8
— Daniel Bratulić (@daniel_bratulic) January 22, 2024
Of course, the L2M is complied by the NBA itself, overseeing its own refs so many may find umbrage with the league trying to hold itself accountable. And it only accounts for the final two minutes of action and overtime. Still, it is interesting to see the champions getting some form of respect this season—and this data displays its showing somewhere.
