Terry Stotts: Nikola Jokic's Elbow on Enes Kanter in Game 3 'Uncalled For'

Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts believes Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic's elbowing of Enes Kanter's injured shoulder in Game 3 on Friday night was "uncalled for," according to ESPN.com's Royce Young.

After the game, Kanter took to social media to ask the league to look into the play:

Stotts added that he "certainly didn't approve of it."

After the game, Kanter revealed that he was hampered by a shoulder injury that he initially suffered during Portland's first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"First overtime, I think I separated my shoulder more," Kanter said after logging 56 minutes, including 37 in regulation, in the 140-137 quadruple-overtime victory, according to ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton. "I had to tuck my arm into my jersey because I couldn't carry my arm. I'm glad we got a win, man. Whatever it takes. You've got to sacrifice everything. I'm proud of my teammates."

He later tweeted a photo of himself in the trainers room:

That was after the 7'0", 250-pound Jokic hit his injured shoulder.

While the Trail Blazers took exception to the play, Nuggets coach Michael Malone denied that it was a dirty play by his All-Star center, per Young:

"Normal play. I think Terry is off base there. Personally, I don't think it was anything malicious. Just like some of their screens in the first two games, I don't think there was anything malicious to it—with Kanter getting tossed into Torrey Craig. This is the playoffs. We're all big boys, let's go out and play the game accordingly.

"I have known Nikola Jokic for four years. He doesn't have that kind of personality, he doesn't have that DNA gene where he's going to go out there and make nonbasketball plays and try to hurt anybody or do anything that is beyond the limits of what is sportsmanship and what is not sportsmanship. So I would definitely not agree with Terry's assessment."

According to Young, Kanter is not sure if he will be able to play in Game 4 on Sunday.