Female Nuggets Reporter Responds to Awkward Nikola Jokic Moment Following Rockets Loss

On opening night, Altitude Sports' Katy Winge asked Nikola Jokic if he had anything to say to "Nuggets Nation," and he answered the crowd still at Ball Arena with "I love you guys." Her postgame question after Monday's loss in Houston drew a very different reaction. Jokic rolled his eyes, and Winge has now explained why she asked it the way she did.

"Sometimes you have to ask the d*mb question because you want to hear the player explain how simple something can be," Winge wrote on X. "I took the hit here and I'd do it again - but there is a reason I asked it the way I did."

The moment came after Denver's loss to the Rockets, when Winge asked Jokic how the team could fix its opponents' offensive rebound problems, and Jokic rolled his eyes before answering.

Houston beat Denver 110-100 on Monday, with Kevin Durant scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, and Alperen Sengun also posting a double-double. Jamal Murray scored a game-high 38 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and Jokic added 25 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.

Jokic tied the game at 60-60 with a layup at the 5:04 mark of the third quarter, but Houston used its defense to retake the lead.

The Nuggets also arrived under unusual circumstances. After beating the Pacers 114-102 in Mexico City on Saturday, mechanical problems with their charter plane left the team stuck for roughly 21 hours before they finally left late Sunday afternoon. The delay also forced Denver to cancel its Monday morning shootaround.

Winge, who covers the team, reported the delays on social media, writing that it was "one of the worst travel nights I can remember for the Nuggets."

Winge's explanation suggests she asked the question deliberately. She wrote that she wanted the player to explain how simple something can be, and Jokic did. His answer identified turnovers and transition defense as the problem, not a lack of effort or an injury-related issue.

Jokic also handled a second question about his shooting. One question concerned his three-point shooting and a dip in floaters and mid-range attempts, and Jokic didn't want to offer a specific explanation for the decline in efficiency.

That is consistent with how he has treated similar questions before. He rarely gives long answers about his own numbers; his responses are typically short and direct. Earlier this season, one report noted his three-pointer was still missing even as his overall play picked up.

The back-and-forth fits the working relationship the two have had for years. Winge has posted clips of Jokic joking during press conferences, including one that she said "always keeps us on our toes."

His eye roll was a reminder of that dynamic, with Jokic poking fun at a question and then giving a real answer.

The Nuggets' bigger problem is on the court: a loss after a 21-hour travel ordeal and a stretch of turnovers that handed Houston the game.