Nuggets Vs Thunder: nuggets vs thunder skirmish as Nikola Jokić angrily confronts Lu Dort
nuggets vs thunder turned heated in Oklahoma City on Friday night after Lu Dort appeared to trip three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, prompting an on-court confrontation and an eventual ejection. The skirmish unfolded in the fourth quarter and was followed by an officials’ review that upgraded Dort’s foul to a Flagrant 2.
Nuggets Vs Thunder: The altercation
The sequence began late in the fourth quarter when Jokić was jogging up the floor after Oklahoma City scored and Dort stuck out his right leg, tripping him. A common foul was initially called. Jokić immediately got to his feet and angrily confronted Dort, putting his chest into the Thunder wing. OKC center Jaylin Williams then came to Dort’s defense and exchanged shoves with Jokić during a brief altercation at midcourt. Players and coaches from both sides rushed to midcourt and it took a while, but the two were eventually pried loose from each other.
What happened on the play
Officials reviewed footage and upgraded Dort’s foul to a flagrant two, which resulted in an automatic ejection for Dort. Jokić and Jaylin Williams were assessed matching technical fouls that were offsetting, allowing both to remain in the game.
Officials' rulings and quotes
Crew chief James Williams said: “Lu Dort was assessed a flagrant foul penalty (level) two because we deemed his contact on Jokic to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury. ” He added that the contact “led to an altercation that did not dissolve. ”
Jokić described his reaction bluntly: “Unnecessary move and a necessary reaction. 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. ” He also said he was confident he wouldn’t be ejected because “I didn’t do nothing, ” and declined further comment on the escalation, saying “it’s not worth it. ”
Officials determined Jokić did not throw a punch when he took a swipe at Williams with his left hand. The NBA rulebook states that a punch is automatically punished by an ejection and suspension of at least one game. When asked about whether any actions rose to the level of ejection, James Williams said the review did not show conduct that would have met that threshold, “which is why both players received unsportsmanlike technicals fouls that were offset. ”
Game finish and overtime
The incident was part of a thriller that went to overtime after Jokić tied the game with 38 seconds left in regulation. The extra five minutes were one-sided in favor of Oklahoma City, which shut down Denver and won 127-121 in overtime. 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 due to a minutes restriction. Chet Holmgren finished with 15 points, 21 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Jokić finished the game 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 in the game. Denver had led by as many as 16 points in the first quarter before Oklahoma City mounted a comeback. OKC depth — including contributions from Jaylin Williams, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain — was cited as a deciding factor in the overtime victory.
Reactions and standings
Nuggets forward Cam Johnson said, “I didn’t see it because my back was turned at the time. But obviously, it was a cheap shot enough for (Dort) to be thrown out, so they took care of it. ” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault characterized the contest as chippy and referenced the teams’ recent history: “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. … 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. ”
Daigneault added: “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 NBA 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 about it. ”
Neither Lu Dort nor Jaylin Williams were made available for comment by the Thunder after the game. Nuggets coach David Adelman said he still needed to rewatch the incident, which unclear in the provided context.
The win keeps the 46-15 Thunder two games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the West, while the Nuggets are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for fourth place at 37-23.
Friday’s incident and its aftermath left a vivid on-court memory: a tripping foul upgraded to a Flagrant 2, an ejection for Dort, offsetting technicals for Jokić and Williams, and a 127-121 Thunder overtime victory.
