Thunder Rally to Beat Nuggets 127-121 in OT as Jokic Confronts Lu Dort
Nikola jokic was at the center of a fourth-quarter skirmish that punctuated a Feb. 27, 2026 overtime game in which the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-121. The confrontation produced an ejection and technical fouls and came during a comeback that reshaped Western Conference positioning.
Lu Dort trip sparks on-court altercation
The sequence began late in the fourth quarter when Thunder guard Lu Dort appeared to make contact with Jokic in what resembled a hip check with an outstretched leg. Jokic confronted Dort immediately, and the situation escalated when Dort's teammate Jaylin Williams stepped in and became physical with Jokic. Players and coaches from both teams rushed to midcourt, and it took several moments before the two were pried apart.
Officials assessed a Flagrant 2 foul on Dort, resulting in his ejection. Nikola Jokic and Jaylin Williams were each assessed offsetting technical fouls for their roles in the confrontation.
Nikola Jokic ties game with 38 seconds left
Earlier in regulation, Jokic delivered a late basket that tied the game with 38 seconds remaining, forcing overtime. Further replay of the fourth-quarter exchanges showed an unusually intense side of Jokic as the teams prepared for the extra period.
Jokic finished the night with 23 points on 9-of-25 shooting, adding 17 rebounds and 14 assists for a triple-double. Jamal Murray led all scorers with 39 points. Only two other Nuggets scored more than seven points in the game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returns but misses overtime
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made his return from an abdominal strain and led Oklahoma City with 36 points and 9 assists in 34 minutes. A minutes restriction kept Gilgeous-Alexander out of the overtime period, an official action that shaped the final five minutes and forced the Thunder to rely on its bench.
The minutes restriction was consequential: despite his absence in overtime, Oklahoma City closed the extra period decisively and shut down Denver en route to the 127-121 win.
Chet Holmgren, depth carry Thunder in extra five minutes
Chet Holmgren contributed 15 points, 21 rebounds and 3 blocks for the Thunder, and depth pieces stepped up when it mattered. Jaylin Williams, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain made key plays over the course of the game, a collective effort credited with swinging the overtime in Oklahoma City's favor.
Denver had led by as many as 16 points in the first quarter, but Oklahoma City's comeback and late-game depth overcame that early deficit.
Standings impact for Thunder and Nuggets
The win moved Oklahoma City to 46-15 and kept them two games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the Western Conference. The Nuggets fell to a mark of 37-23 and are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for fourth place in the West.
What makes this notable is how a single physical play translated into immediate disciplinary action and shifted momentum in a game with postseason implications: Dort's Flagrant 2 removed a key Thunder wing, Jokic's late tying basket forced overtime, and the absence of Gilgeous-Alexander in the extra five minutes elevated role players who closed out the matchup.
The Feb. 27 contest served as both a standings-defining regular-season result and a heated preview of potential playoff friction between two teams that could meet in the postseason.
