Jokic confronts Lu Dort after trip as Nuggets-Thunder game boils over
In Oklahoma City, Nikola Jokić was tripped by Lu Dort late in the fourth quarter and confronted the Thunder wing, a moment that flared into a midcourt altercation and helped shape a 127-121 overtime loss for the Nuggets. The sequence left players penalized, the crowd unsettled and the game’s competitive stakes intact.
Jokic faces Dort after an apparent trip in the fourth quarter
The skirmish began in the fourth quarter when Lu Dort stuck out his right leg and appeared to trip the three-time MVP, described in replays as at least a hip check with an outstretched leg. Nikola Jokić took exception and angrily confronted Dort, putting his chest into the Thunder wing. Dort, who is well known for being one of the NBA’s more physical players, was ejected after officials upgraded the call to a Flagrant 2 foul. Jaylin Williams, Dort’s teammate, then came to Dort’s defense and exchanged shoves with Jokić as players and coaches from both benches rushed to midcourt. It took a while before the two were pried loose from each other.
Jokic’s words: “Unnecessary move, and a necessary reaction”
The Nuggets center was concise when asked about the sequence. “Unnecessary move, and a necessary reaction, ” Jokić said, adding: “There is no such thing — I think there’s not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor. So it was just an unnecessary move (by Dort) and a necessary reaction by me. ” Jokic was jogging up the floor without the ball after Oklahoma City scored when Dort made the contact. After play stopped for the foul, Jokic rose and confronted Dort. Jokic later said he was confident he would not be ejected because “I didn’t do nothing, ” and he declined to further comment, saying “it’s not worth it. ”
Officials review, penalties and what was found
After officials reviewed replay, Dort’s foul was upgraded to a flagrant-two, resulting in an automatic ejection. Crew chief James Williams explained the decision: “Lu Dort was assessed a flagrant foul penalty (level) two because we deemed (Dort’s) contact on Jokic to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury, ” and added, “And also because the contact led to an altercation that did not dissolve. ” Jokic and Williams received matching unsportsmanlike technical fouls that were offset, allowing both to remain in the game. Officials determined jokic didn’t throw a punch when he took a swipe at Williams with his left hand during the exchange. The NBA rulebook states that throwing a punch is automatically punished by an ejection and suspension of at least one game. Neither Dort nor Williams were made available for comment by the Thunder after the game.
Replay reaction and social clips amplified the moment
Further replay drew strong reactions: footage showed a side of Jokić some described as frightening, and at least one commentator quipped, “I will now have a nightmare tonight. You’re welcome. ” The on-court incident was threaded through a tight, dramatic game that required overtime after Jokić tied the score with 38 seconds left in regulation.
Overtime outcome, individual lines and standings implications
The extra five minutes were one-sided in Oklahoma City’s favor as the Thunder shut down Denver to win 127-121 in overtime. Jokić finished with 23 points on 9-of-25 shooting, 17 rebounds and 14 assists. Jamal Murray led all scorers with 39 points. Only two other Nuggets scored more than seven points. Denver had led by as many as 16 in the first quarter before OKC rallied.
Thunder depth, returns and coach responses
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, making his return from an abdominal strain, led the Thunder with 36 points and 9 assists in 34 minutes but missed all of overtime because of a minutes restriction. Chet Holmgren finished with 15 points, 21 rebounds and 3 blocks. Oklahoma City’s depth — including contributions from Jaylin Williams, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain — proved decisive. The win keeps the Thunder at 46-15, two games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the West, while the Nuggets sit tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves at 37-23 for fourth place.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called it a chippy game between familiar opponents: “These are two teams that played each other in a seven-game series. We’re in the same division. We’ve played each other 100 times. They know our playbook. We know their playbook. It just is what it is. It’s gonna be an imperfect game. And things, they escalate like that sometimes. I know Lu. I know Jokic. I know J-Will. I don’t think anybody was trying to hurt anybody. They’re just great competitors. It just boiled over. I think it was nothing more than that. ” He added a note on precedent: “If a player (for us), if J-Will is running up the floor and gets tripped, we expect a flagrant two from this point forward. That’s all. If that’s the precedent, if that becomes a malicious play and flagrant two is the line in the sand on that, we would expect that if it’s J-Will. We would expect that if it’s anybody. ” When asked if he was insinuating Dort was ejected only because a three-time MVP was on the receiving end, Daigneault said, “I’m not going to answer the question like that. I said what I needed to say a” — unclear in the provided context.
Nuggets forward Cam Johnson said he did not see the sequence because his back was turned, but added: “But obviously, it was a cheap shot enough for (Dort) to be thrown out, so they took care of it. ”
