After the Denver Nuggets found themselves down double digits in their home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans at halftime and at the end of the third quarter, the crowd at Ball Arena began to boo the home squad.

The Nuggets would eventually make a ferocious comeback in the fourth quarter, forcing overtime and ultimately walking away with the victory.

After the game, Nikola Jokic called out the fans who booed, saying they weren’t real fans and telling them to not come back.

The boos may not have been as loud on Monday when the Nuggets played the winless Golden State Warriors, but the performance was just as bad in the second half, with the Warriors going up double digits heading into the third quarter.

In the end, Golden State walked away with a 134-114 victory, picking up their first win of the season and sending Denver to 1-2.

After the game, Jokic didn’t back down from his prior comments, saying, “I said what I said. I’m sticking to what I said. I think they are not real fans.”

Jokic noted that he’s played in front of crowds of all sizes, and he is not used to fans booing their own team.

Jokic had a triple double, scoring 35 points to go along with 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, against the Pelicans in leading the comeback alongside Jamal Murray, who had 42 points.

There was no comeback against the Warriors, and Jokic was held to 19 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists.

In three games this season, he’s averaging 22.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists, but shooting 41% from the field and 21% from three. His numbers are far below the standard he’s set for himself over the past six years where he’s either won or finished runner-up in MVP voting.

It’s three games into the season, but the Nuggets don’t look like the team that fans were hoping to see after a disappointing playoff exit, and Jokic looks more like the player fans saw in the playoffs and not the player they’ve come to expect.

Fans are going to boo when they aren’t happy with the performance or effort from their team on the court. Denver wasn’t the first team to be booed by the home fans this season, and they won’t be the last.

The boos have worked in multiple cases, as the Philadelphia 76ers had a roaring comeback in their home opener against the Boston Celtics after being booed at halftime. No team likes to hear the home crowd booing the effort, but maybe it’s what a team actually needs to play inspired basketball.