Okc’s Overtime Win Marred by Lu Dort Trip, Nikola Jokić Confrontation and Ejections
In a tense overtime victory, okc beat the Denver Nuggets 127-121, but the headline from Friday night was a fourth-quarter skirmish that began when Luguentz Dort tripped Nikola Jokić and ended with an ejection and offsetting technical fouls. The sequence reshaped the tone of a game that had already gone to overtime after Jokić tied the contest with 38 seconds left in regulation.
Okc comeback overshadowed by Dort trip and midcourt altercation
The incident began as Jokić was jogging up the floor without the ball after Oklahoma City scored when Dort stuck out his right leg and tripped the three-time MVP. Jokić took exception, confronted Dort by putting his chest into the Thunder wing, and Jaylin Williams came to Dort’s defense. A brief altercation at midcourt followed as players and coaches from both benches rushed in and it took a while before those involved were pried apart.
The trip, ejection and technicals
Officials reviewed the play, upgraded Dort’s foul to a Flagrant 2 and ejected him. Jokić and Jaylin Williams received matching technical fouls that were offsetting, allowing both to remain in the game. Crew chief James Williams explained the flagrant-two ruling by saying the contact was unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury and that the contact led to an altercation that did not dissolve. Replay also showed what was described as a side of Jokić that many found startling.
Jokić’s reaction, officials’ findings and rulebook threshold
Nikola Jokić called the play “unnecessary” and framed his response as a necessary reaction. He said he was confident he would not be ejected because he believed he “didn’t do nothing, ” and he declined to discuss the escalation with Williams, saying it was not worth it. Officials determined Jokić did not throw a punch after taking a swipe with his left hand during the altercation; the NBA rulebook states that throwing a punch is automatically punished by ejection and a suspension of at least one game. Neither Dort nor Williams were made available for comment by the Thunder after the game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s return and minutes restriction
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander marked his return from an abdominal strain with 36 points and 9 assists in 34 minutes. The 27-year-old had missed nine games since sustaining the abdominal strain on 3 February. He said he felt good on his return, but remained on the bench for all of overtime due to a minutes restriction. Earlier in the game he was assessed an early technical foul for throwing the ball at Jokić after contact had occurred following a stoppage in play.
How the game unfolded: key performances and pivotal moments
Denver led by as many as 16 in the first quarter, but okc rallied. Jokić tied the game with 38 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. In OT the Thunder scored the first five points and then shut down the Nuggets, holding on for a 127-121 win. 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. For the Thunder, Chet Holmgren posted 15 points, 21 rebounds and 3 blocks. Depth proved decisive: contributions from Jaylin Williams, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain were singled out as key, and Caruso’s late regulation drive rimmed out at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. The victory was the Thunder’s sixth win in eight games.
Standings impact and coach reaction
The win keeps the 46-15 Thunder two games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the Western Conference, while the Nuggets are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves at 37-23. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called the contest a chippy affair, noting the teams had met in a seven-game series and are in the same division and have played one another extensively. He said he did not believe anyone was trying to hurt anyone, describing the players as great competitors and suggesting the situation simply boiled over. He also warned that if a Thunder player is tripped while running up the floor, the team would expect a flagrant-two standard to be enforced going forward. Nuggets forward Cam Johnson said he did not see the play because his back was turned, but called it a cheap shot that warranted Dort’s ejection.
