INDIANAPOLIS – Nikola Jokic couldn’t help himself.
Hardwired to take advantage of an opportunity, he tried to bait a whistle with only 10 seconds left, the shot clock turned off and the Nuggets clinging to a 122-119 lead Wednesday night.
Jokic had a step on Indiana rookie Bennedict Mathurin, felt him on his hip and leaned into an ill-advised shot. He was banking on a foul call — the kind that hadn’t been there all night.
“Why not?” Jokic said from the victorious locker room, well after the Nuggets erased an 18-point second-half deficit and hung on to win 122-119.