Jokic says GP2 didn't need to slap his butt in Game 2 incident

The Denver Nuggets have two days to pick up the pieces and regroup after a 20-point loss to the Warriors in Game 2 of their first-round NBA playoff series.

At several points during the Warriors' 126-106 win, the Nuggets looked like they were splintering, with frustration getting the best of them at several moments during the game.

While an incident between DeMarcus Cousins and Will Barton on the Nuggets' bench will get the attention, there was a smaller altercation earlier in the game that got reigning NBA MVP and current MVP finalist Nikola Jokic hot and bothered.

With two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Jokic had a shot blocked by Gary Payton II, who stared down Denver's star.

The Warriors secured the ball, went down the court and hit a 3-pointer, forcing Nuggets coach Michael Malone to call a timeout. As Jokic was walking back to his bench, GP2 brushed by him and gently slapped him on the butt.

Jokic clearly wasn't happy and he tried to get at GP2 before being stopped by Steph Curry and Jordan Poole.

"He doesn't need to do that," Jokic told reporters after the game. "I just reacted. No need to do that."

That was just the beginning of Jokic's frustrations.

Late in the third quarter, Jokic was assessed a personal foul on a driving Andrew Wiggins. He wasn't happy with the call and slammed the basketball on the court, drawing a technical foul.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Jokic thought he got fouled by Draymond Green, but when no whistle came, he yelled at the refs, earning a second technical foul and an ejection.

Jokic finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds but it wasn't nearly enough to help the Nuggets even the series. Instead, the head back to Denver trailing two-games-to-none and need to win four of five games against the Warriors in order to advance.

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