The Denver Nuggets traveled to Oklahoma to face the OKC Thunder at the Paycom Center on Friday. With playoff implications looming, tensions escalated as Nikola Jokic and Lu Dort got into a heated exchange, sparking a major on-court scuffle.
The altercation began after a hard foul from Dort in the fourth quarter. With 8:04 remaining, the Thunder guard backed into Jokic as the Serbian star attempted to push the ball up the floor, a play many viewed as excessive.
Thanks for the submission!
Underdog NBA shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter).
•
“Nikola Jokic was heated after the Lu Dort foul,” Underdog NBA captioned the post.
Jokic took issue with the cheap blow, immediately confronting Dort, stepping face-to-face with the guard. The exchange quickly intensified, drawing players from both sides into the fray as tempers boiled over.
During the scuffle, Dort was quickly pulled aside by teammates, while Jokic became entangled with Jaylin Williams, who grabbed the Nuggets star. Jokic responded by clutching Williams’ jersey before coaches from both teams intervened to restore order.
Following the on-court altercation, referees conducted a review and ruled that Dort had initiated the incident. He was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checking in to replace him.
Jokic and Williams were each handed personal fouls before play resumed after a brief delay.
Tempers had been simmering throughout what was a physical, back-and-forth contest. Despite the stoppage, the intensity never dipped as both teams continued trading baskets.
The game ultimately went to overtime after being tied at 107 in regulation, with Jokic scoring the game-tying basket in the closing seconds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assessed a technical foul for throwing the ball at Nikola Jokic during a heated Thunder-Nuggets clash
The Denver Nuggets and OKC Thunder held nothing back during their clash on Friday, with both teams battling intensely in a physical contest. The Thunder, in particular, appeared to target Nikola Jokic throughout the night.
While Lu Dort was later ejected for a hard foul on Jokic, it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who ignited tensions earlier. In the first half, SGA threw the ball at Jokic while attempting to save it from going out of bounds.
Clutch Points shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter).
“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was given a technical foul after throwing the ball at Nikola Jokic,” Clutch Points captioned the post.
Although Gilgeous-Alexander argued that Jokic had pushed him, officials assessed him a technical foul for the act.
Edited by Arian Kashyap