Okc-Altered Game Erupts as Lu Dort Is Ejected for Tripping Nikola Jokić
The Oklahoma City Thunder's home meeting with the Denver Nuggets on Friday night devolved into a fourth-quarter altercation after Luguentz Dort stuck out his leg and tripped Nikola Jokić, a sequence that was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 and led to Dort's ejection. The skirmish reshaped the final minutes and preceded a 127-121 overtime victory that kept the Thunder atop the Western Conference.
Okc's Lu Dort ejected for tripping Nikola Jokić
The incident began when Jokić was jogging up the floor without the ball after OKC had scored; Dort extended his right leg and tripped the Nuggets center, prompting a stoppage. After officials reviewed replays, crew chief James Williams ruled Dort’s contact to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury and said the contact led to an altercation that did not dissolve—an assessment that upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2 and produced an automatic ejection for Dort.
Nikola Jokić describes the confrontation
Jokić called Dort’s action "an unnecessary move, and a necessary reaction, " saying those plays should not happen on a basketball floor. He confronted Dort by putting his chest into the Thunder wing; Jaylin Williams then moved to Dort’s defense and exchanged shoves with Jokić at midcourt. Jokić added he was confident he would not be ejected, saying, "I didn't do nothing, " and declined further comment on the escalation, calling it "not worth it. "
Crew chief James Williams explains Flagrant 2 upgrade and technicals
After the on-court review, Williams explained that Dort’s contact met the criteria for a Flagrant 2 because of its potential for injury and the resulting altercation. Both Jokić and Jaylin Williams received offsetting unsportsmanlike technical fouls and were allowed to remain in the game because officials found no actions that rose to the level of an ejection. Officials determined Jokić did not throw a punch—he took a swipe with his left hand—and noted that throwing a punch would automatically trigger an ejection and at least a one-game suspension under the NBA rulebook. Neither Dort nor Williams were made available for comment after the game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returns from abdominal strain
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander marked his return from an abdominal strain with 36 points and nine assists in 34 minutes. He had been out since sustaining the injury on 3 February and missed nine games. Gilgeous-Alexander said, "Felt good, " and added, "I'm just thankful to be back. " He opened the game with a layup but picked up an early technical after throwing the ball at Jokić following contact that occurred after play had stopped. Because of a minutes restriction, Gilgeous-Alexander remained on the bench for overtime, and Alex Caruso took on the late-game onus in extra time.
Game impact: overtime sequence, stats and standings
Caruso's drive at the end of regulation bounced off the rim, sending the game to overtime, where OKC scored the first five points and held the Nuggets scoreless for a one-sided extra period. The Thunder prevailed 127-121. Jokić finished with a 23-point triple-double on 9-of-25 shooting, 17 rebounds and 14 assists; Jamal Murray led all scorers with 39 points. Chet Holmgren contributed 15 points, 21 rebounds and three blocks for OKC. Only two other Nuggets finished with more than seven points. The win improved the Thunder to 46-15, placing them two games clear of the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the Western Conference, while Denver sits at 37-23, tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for fourth place.
Reactions and broader context from players and coach Mark Daigneault
Nuggets forward Cam Johnson, who said he did not see the play because his back was turned, called it a "cheap shot enough for (Dort) to be thrown out. " Thunder coach Mark Daigneault described the contest as "chippy, " noting the teams had met in a seven-game playoff series and are divisional rivals who have faced each other many times. Daigneault argued the league should apply the same standard if any Thunder player is tripped in transition and declined to expand on whether Dort’s ejection was influenced by Jokić’s status as a three-time MVP, saying he had said what he needed to say.
What makes this notable is how a single physical play—Dort's trip on a trailing Jokić—cascaded into an ejection, offsetting technicals and a reordering of late-game rotations that helped determine the outcome. The incident and its review will likely factor into how similar plays are adjudicated and how teams manage player minutes and matchups in heated divisional contests.
