After an NBA game, it’s quite normal to see players receive criticism from fans on social media. It’s just the nature of the sport. However, players aren’t the only people within NBA circles who are on the receiving end of ridicule. A Denver Nuggets broadcaster found out the hard way after his ill-educated comments during last night’s game.
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On Friday night, the Nuggets took on the Los Angeles Clippers at home. The game attracted plenty of attention, since it was Nikola Jokic’s return from a knee injury. Unfortunately, the discourse from fans had nothing to do with the product on the court.
With just over 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets held a 105-95 lead. The Clippers substituted star guard James Harden back into the game. This prompted a controversial remark from Nuggets broadcaster Scott Hastings.
“Now you’ve got the other free-throw merchant coming back into the game,” Hastings said.
“Now you got the other free throw merchant coming back into the game.”
— Nuggets announcer.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 31, 2026
It didn’t take long for this clip to sweep through social media platforms, specifically on X. Fans didn’t hesitate to make their feelings known.
One user adamantly stated, “Nuggets announcers are the absolute worst.” That sentiment seemed to resonate with multiple fans. Another user proclaimed, “Worst f****** announcers only behind the Warriors. We all watched the refs rob the Clippers in broad daylight.”
Although Hastings’ comments were toward Harden, he received criticism for his hypocrisy, considering the Nuggets have a player who takes advantage of foul calls. “There is a 3000 lbs dude flopping around all over the court after getting bumps from players 100 lbs lighter than him,” one fan noted.
When looking at the box score, Harden’s play didn’t even warrant such a remark. The former MVP only went to the free-throw line five times. Nikola Jokic, in the meantime went to the free-throw line 17 times. He was five attempts shy of taking more than the entire Clippers team combined.
Unfortunately, this 10-second clip that went around didn’t provide the full context of Hastings’ comment. He referred to Harden as the “other free-throw merchant”. The full exchange between play-by-play commentator Chris Marlowe provides all the context needed.
“Jokic back to the line, that’s the 16th free throw,” Marlowe said. “He’s made 12 of them. Here’s Harden.” Subsequently, Hastings replied with, “Now you got the other free-throw merchant coming back in the game, so you wanna try to defend without fouling down the stretch.”
Home broadcasters will be biased, that’s the nature of the job. However, Hastings knows enough basketball to avoid being delusional. He can spot when the whistle is benefiting his team. If only that remark was the only reason he received criticism on X.
One fan pointed the Nuggets’ broadcasters had a few other things to say about Harden during the game. At one point, they proclaimed, “He shouldn’t be allowed to complain at all.” As well as wondering, “Why does he get every call?”
Well, clearly, he didn’t get as many calls as Jokic, just by comparing the free-throw disparity. Regardless, that’s among the pros and cons of a broadcast crew meant for a certain team’s market. If their behavior was during a nationally broadcast game, the issue would be far greater.
