In what ended up being a six-point victory for the Nuggets (120-114), it’s not too hard to see why the Warriors, particularly head coach Steve Kerr, became incensed. In fact, Kerr went as far as to say that he was disgusted by the fact that the officials decided to reward some very blatant trickery tactics.

Nevertheless, the Nuggets star big man contended that he’s not “actively thinking about selling a call” and that he was merely searching for ways to try and prop up his team’s offense even though his shot isn’t falling.

“I was missing shots, so I was just trying to be aggressive in another way, maybe play a little more physical. It just happened to be that kind of night. This is the most I’ve ever had,” Jokic said, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

Given Nikola Jokic’s physicality on the court, it’s quite a marvel that the Nuggets star doesn’t take more than his average of 5.9 per game through Christmas Day (he’s now at 6.3 after his 18-FTA night). Nonetheless, as frustrating as it may be for the Warriors to concede that many free throws, which clearly swung the game in the Nuggets’ favor, it’s always difficult to contain the two-time MVP, especially when Draymond Green remains out due to suspension.

The Nuggets may also be overdue for some fortune at the free-throw line. As ESPN pointed out, the Nuggets ranked dead last in free-throw rate and they are bottom-10 in foul shots attempted per 100 possessions. This, of course, is a consequence of their perimeter-centric playstyle. But on Christmas Day, they showed that they can also get down and dirty when necessary.