Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Michael Malone ejected vs. Pistons

DETROIT — Nikola Jokic and Nuggets coach Michael Malone were ejected in the first half of Denver’s 107-103 win at Detroit on Monday night.

Jokic received his first technical for arguing a call in the first quarter. Malone was ejected for going onto the court to dispute a call late in the period. The two-time MVP was tossed after arguing another call with 1:22 left in the first half.

“I think Nikola was worried about my welfare,” Malone joked afterward. “It is tough to watch a game on TV — we were hugging on good plays and I was cursing in Serbian on the bad ones.”

Jokic had nine points, five rebounds and five assists in 15:13 minutes before being tossed.

The Nuggets (10-4) led 56-55 at halftime. The Pistons (2-13) entered play with an 11-game losing streak.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.