The Denver Nuggets secured a dominant 141-111 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, powered by a spectacular 48-point effort from superstar center Nikola Jokic. The 30-point blowout was a much-needed bounce-back win for Denver following a disappointing loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
While the Nuggets’ win was decisive, the game wasn’t without controversy. In the third quarter, forward Aaron Gordon appeared to get away with a missed foul call that had serious consequences. Gordon accidentally struck Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter in the head, causing Hunter to collapse to the floor. He later went to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion but was able to return to the game. Despite the clear impact, no foul was called on Gordon.
After the game, Crew Chief Mark Lindsay admitted the officiating error during an NBA Pool Report conducted by Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “During live play, we felt Gordon makes legal contact to the ball with his right hand,” Lindsay explained. “However, during postgame video review, we observed that Gordon makes illegal contact with his forearm across the side of Hunter’s head and a foul should have been called.”
Although the no-call didn’t affect the outcome of the game, given Denver’s 30-point margin of victory, it still sparked criticism, especially considering the risk of injury to Hunter. Fortunately, Hunter’s injury wasn’t severe, but the missed call was seen by many as an avoidable mistake.
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