The Joker just took his nickname too seriously. In a series shaping up to be a rivalry spanning generations, the Denver Nuggets salvaged their season with a 125-113 win in Game 5. But it’s not the final score nor the 2-3 series split anyone is talking about. Neither is Nikola Jokic’s historic triple-double a point of conversation. It’s the Serb’s signature mind games. Right after avoiding a suspension and coughing up $50,000, Jokic had too much incentive to get under his opposition’s skin.

The big man delivered a masterclass of 27 points, 16 assists, and 12 rebounds, the 221st triple-double of his career that ties with Russell Westbrook for the most combined regular-season and playoff triple-doubles in NBA history. Despite the milestone, though, the conversation following the final buzzer wasn’t centered on the record, but rather on a quirky late-game maneuver involving Wolves rookie Joan Beringer.

The incident occurred in the final seconds of the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. With the game well in hand, Jokic appeared to hand the ball directly to Beringer, a 19-year-old French center, only to immediately snatch it back in an attempt to trigger a jump ball or reset the clock. The move was widely interpreted as a petty taunt to the heated altercation at the end of Game 4 involving Jaden McDaniels, which resulted in a five-digit fine for Jokic.

Of course, it’s a very uncharacteristic action. Especially 48 hours after talking about the unspoken etiquette of late-game actions. When asked about the exchange with Beringer, Jokic shut down the inquiry with a curt, “Next question.” Yet that said plenty. Fans noticed a shift in the Nuggets’ intensity after the Game 4 brawl. The Serb himself admitted it brought out their aggression, saying, “Maybe that’s what we needed. The physicality that we need. That’s our mindset for the next game,” ahead of Game 5. Indeed, the last game brought out everything that was missing. But it also brought out what’s been deemed petty.

Nikola Jokic’s antics re-fuel the war between Timberwolves and Nuggets fans

Mile High City is hyping Nikola Jokic‘s ingenious mischief. The Wolves faction is calling out the hypocrisy. The double standard mostly left the NBA world tickled, with someone laughing, “Nah this is shameless😂😂.”

But the critics slammed the big man’s selective toughness. “Dude crashes out at Jaden for simply taking a layup. Then picks on a 19 year old once he wins a game without Ant or Donte on the court. Dude is the fakest tough guy I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo have suffered season-ending injuries in Game 4, leaving the Wolves to call up even the rookies like Beringer for playoff minutes. Perhaps the other center’s only misfortune was being next to Nikola, which made him the subject of his pettiness. But at least he avoided a brawl…

Supporters of the Nuggets saw the move as a high-IQ play to bleed the clock and avoid a turnover, arguing that “Jokic is so smart for this.. he tried to get a Timberwolves player to have possession of the ball, and then steal it back so the shot clock reset to 24, and the clock can run out 🧠🧠.”

Last game, he was mad at Jaden McDaniels for going for a shot instead of dribbling out the clock. But Jaden was not this comedic. So Jokic charged at him and got himself ejected. Now that’s starting to look like the Joker’s villain origin story, as someone so wittily put it, “Ik he imagined this scenario in his head over and over again since the end of game 4.”

Despite the controversy, many fans were baffled by Jokic’s wit after a physical game. “He just looks like he’s finished a 12-hour shift at a quiet office, not an NBA playoff game 😭.” But that kind of tone led many to point out the optics of the fans’ reaction to McDaniels compared to Jokic. “Jokic doing something when game over = good, silly. Jaden when doing something when game over = thug, classless 🧐.”

As the series shifts back to Minneapolis for a pivotal Game 6, the narrative remains split between those who believe “Jokic solves games quietly 😅” and those who feel “We need to study Jokic at this point😂😂” for his unique brand of psychological warfare.

While the “shameless” act dominated the timeline, the reality, as this netizen said, remains that “meanwhile everyone els is exhausted and he’s already thinking about Game six adjustments.” Whether it was a tactical masterstroke or a petty jab, the Joker has ensured that all eyes will be on him as the Nuggets attempt to force a Game 7.