“Sore Loser Activities”: Anthony Edwards’ Attempt to Disrupt Nikola Jokic at the FT Line Leaves Fans Deeply Divided

Heading into his second NBA Christmas Day Game, Anthony Edwards made one bold prediction on ESPN: “I’m gonna have 30 points for sure. I might have 40. But it’s gonna be a night.” Edwards came through with a 44-point night vs the Denver Nuggets, but he couldn’t stay on the court to help the Wolves over the line. Ejection and loss apart, he also managed to irk fans with unsporting behaviour against Nikola Jokic.

To think of it, it seemed as if things were playing out in Edwards’ favor initially. After falling behind by as many as 16 points, he helped the Wolves lead the charge in the final five-and-a-half minutes of the 4th quarter. He even hit a wild three-pointer to tie the game at 115 with 1.1 seconds left in regulation to send it to OT.

Edwards started off the OT on fire, too, leading the Wolves to a 9-0 run. But the Nuggets responded soon after with a run of their own.

With 56.4 seconds left, Rudy Gobert picked up his 6th foul and was ejected. That sent Nikola Jokic to the FT line.

Edwards tried to throw off Jokic, who was preparing to shoot FTs by making contact. Clearly annoyed, Jokic complained to the refs, and ANT then pretended to have done no such thing.

ANT’s actions drew varied reactions from fans. One called it “Sore loser activities,” with another fan adding, “shoulda got a tech here as well.”

On the flip side, there were many who saw nothing wrong with what Edwards did. “Classic mind games, lol. All part of the game,” a fan wrote. Another fan defended Edwards, saying, “he was tryna throw him off his FT routine.”

However, frustration soon got the best of Edwards, who picked up two technical fouls with 21 seconds left in the game. The Nuggets were up 133-130 at that point. He was ejected from the game, and the Nuggets eventually won 142-138.