Phoenix Suns' Deandre Ayton no-call on Nikola Jokic has Denver Nuggets fans crying foul
Did the Phoenix Suns' Deandre Ayton get away with a foul on Nikola Jokic late in the Suns' Game 4 win over the Denver Nuggets?
A lot of people on social media think so. They took to Twitter to complain about the no-call at Footprint Center on Sunday night.
The Suns were ahead in the game, 123-120 with just 27.7 seconds remaining and the two centers were having a jump ball on Denver's side of the court.
Ayton won the jump ball by tipping it to T.J. Warren, who was quickly fouled. Warren hit both free throws to extend the Suns' lead to 125-120 with 22 seconds left.
But some on social media think that Ayton fouled Jokic by putting one of his arms on the Denver center's shoulder when he was attempting to tip the jump ball and they offered video proof.
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In a 3pt game, with 23 seconds left, all 3 referees missed this obvious foul on DeAndre Ayton, who does the old pro trick of pulling Jokic’s shoulder down with his inside hand as he goes to tip it with the other arm. This type of thing has been missed way too often this season. pic.twitter.com/OhnHuO7P8u
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) May 8, 2023
Did Ayton pull down Jokic’s shoulder on this jump ball? 👀 pic.twitter.com/qgsXvV06GC
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 8, 2023
Nuggets fans were irate after Deandre Ayton pulled Nikola Jokic shoulder on the jump-ball and the referees completely missed it 😬
The jump-ball occurred with the Suns leading Denver 123-120 with 27.7 seconds remaining.pic.twitter.com/3R7PLc5UeS— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 8, 2023
Why did a 7footer with a 44 vert think he even needed to do this against Jokic what the hell do Ayton be thinking https://t.co/ljY6v5UPov
— 🦦✨America Is Musty✨🦦 (@DragonflyJonez) May 8, 2023
In the final minute of the Suns-Nuggets game, Deandre Ayton appeared to pull down Nikola Jokic on a crucial jump ball 😮
Should Ayton have been called for a foul on this play? 😳pic.twitter.com/QbXhBpaKp3— Ballislife Bets (@BallislifeBets) May 8, 2023
A foul on Ayton there could have changed the game, giving the Nuggets a chance to cut into the 3-point deficit.
While there may be some doubt about that foul call, there is no doubt about Ayton's performance in Game 4.
The Suns center played inspired basketball after a terrible Game 3, bouncing back from the very beginning of the game, when he set the tone for his performance with three offensive rebounds on the Suns' first possession of the game.
Ayton finished with eight points, eight rebounds (four offensive), a steal and a block in 27 minutes of action. It may not seem like much, but he was more engaged in the game and his intensity was much improved from his 4-point, 9-rebound dud in Game 3.
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wow - no secret what happened in Game 3 and very first possession of the game, Deandre Ayton gets three offensive rebounds in a row to get the Suns two points.https://t.co/pU9Em4dJRC pic.twitter.com/DXWIQDz7gv
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 8, 2023
Deandre Ayton just grabbed 3 offensive rebounds on the first possession of the game 👀 pic.twitter.com/QVlBoN6uMy
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 8, 2023
Perfect example of why you have to watch the games, not just look at box scores: Ayton's stats are really not that different in the last two games. 4 points and 9 rebounds in the last one, 8 points and 8 rebounds in this one. But he was IMMEASURABLY better tonight.
— Cody Hunt (@co_dhunt) May 8, 2023
So much respect for how Deandre Ayton competed tonight. So proud of hm.
— andrew leezus (@AndrewLeezus) May 8, 2023
Not all was perfect for Ayton in Game 4, however, as he did pick up a technical foul on the bench during the game.
Ayton got a tech from the bench dawg how is the owner of the team having a more positive impact on the score than you
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) May 8, 2023
Which Ayton will we see in Game 5?
More: Phoenix Suns fans apologize to Landry Shamet after Game 4 win vs. Denver Nuggets
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Did Suns' Deandre Ayton foul Nuggets' Nikola Jokic on late jump ball?
