Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets defended Nikola Jokic after he was ejected from Monday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.

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Things boiled over for Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Monday against the Detroit Pistons, as he was ejected for arguing calls before halftime and just a quarter after head coach Michael Malone was ejected for the same thing, and Jokic’s teammate Aaron Gordon vehemently defended him after the game.

“He doesn’t need to apologize,” Aaron Gordon said, via Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.

“They’re fouling him, and they’re not reffing him by the book. They’re putting two hands on him. They’re pushing him. It’s a foul. When somebody has their back to the basket, you can’t put two hands on him, and they keep putting two hands on him. So it’s a foul. I can understand his frustration.”

Despite the ejections of Nikola Jokic and Michael Malone, the Nuggets did come out with a 107-103 win over the Pistons. Reggie Jackson, a former Pistons player, led the way with 21 points and scored some key baskets down the stretch to secure the win.

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For the Nuggets, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points in addition to Reggie Jackson.

The Nuggets improved to 10-4 on the season with the victory. The Nuggets’ ability to win the game without their star player and head coach demonstrated their character.

Next up, on Wednesday, the Nuggets will travel to Orlando to play the Magic. The team has discussed the calls on Jokic, so it will be fascinating to see what kind of whistle they receive on Wednesday when they play the Magic.