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OKLAHOMA CITY – A tense matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder boiled over Friday night at Paycom Center, culminating in an on-court altercation that saw Thunder guard Luguentz Dort ejected and Denver’s Nikola Jokic and OKC’s Jaylin Williams receive technical fouls.
The incident occurred with 8:03 remaining in the fourth quarter when Dort appeared to trip Jokic as the Nuggets superstar ran up the court. Jokic, after a tumble, quickly rose to confront Dort, initiating a chest-bump that escalated into a physical exchange between Jokic and Williams, who intervened. Players, coaches, and officials quickly swarmed to separate the entangled athletes.
Following a review, Dort’s foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul 2, leading to his automatic ejection. Crew chief James Williams explained the decision, stating that Dort’s contact on Jokic was deemed “unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury,” and contributed to an “altercation that did not dissolve.”
Jokic, whose Nuggets ultimately lost 127-121 in overtime, described his reaction as “necessary.” “It’s an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction,” he stated post-game.
“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 and a necessary reaction by me.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, while acknowledging the call, suggested a precedent should be set. “If [Williams] is running up the floor and gets tripped, we expect a flagrant 2 from this point forward,” Daigneault remarked.
“If that’s the precedent, if that becomes a malicious play and flagrant 2 is the line in the sand on that, we would expect that if it’s [Williams]. We would expect that if it’s anybody.”
Jaylin Williams downplayed the confrontation, telling reporters, “Just competing. Two teams competing, that’s it.
That’s all I got.” Officials determined that the actions of Jokic and Williams during the scuffle did not warrant ejection.
The drama overshadowed the return of reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who tallied 36 points and nine assists in 34 minutes after missing nine games due to an abdominal strain. Gilgeous-Alexander was also involved in an earlier technical foul in the first quarter, receiving one for throwing the ball at Jokic after post-whistle contact.
Jokic, despite recording his league-leading 22nd triple-double with 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 14 assists, continued his recent shooting struggles, going 9-of-25 from the field. Nuggets coach David Adelman defended his star, suggesting Jokic’s frustration stemmed from inconsistent officiating near the basket.
“I think his frustration is sometimes because the game’s officiated differently out on the floor than it is near the basket,” Adelman said. “And obviously with Dort’s play, I think that took it to a different level for him.
He felt like it was malicious, also.”
The rivalry continues when the Nuggets and Thunder face off again on March 9 in Oklahoma City.