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Aaron Gordon blasted NBA refs for letting smaller defenders hack Nikola Jokić without calling fouls

Let's make one thing very clear first.

The Denver Nuggets did not get demolished 149-106 in Game 2 of their second-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder because of poor officiating. Even the worst possible kind of refereeing — which, yes, Scott Foster is known for — couldn't make up that kind of massive chasm.

With that said, it's hard to ignore how some defenders, particularly those of a smaller build, are seemingly allowed to be as physical as they please when they're guarding the listed 6-foot-11, 284-pound Nikola Jokicu0301. It's even more interesting that these smaller defenders can sometimes apparently hack and push Jokicu0301 as they please without fouling a very large man who does most of his work in the paint while a lot less contact is permitted on perimeter-oriented players.