Nikola Jokić had something to say to Lu Dort on Friday.
A skirmish broke out in the fourth quarter of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s clash with the Denver Nuggets, when the Thunder guard appeared to intentionally trip the three-time MVP. At the very least, it was a hip check with an outstretched leg.
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Jokić took exception to the contact and angrily confronted Dort, who is well known for being one of the NBA’s most, ahem, physical players. Dort’s teammate Jaylin Williams than confronted Jokić, and the two got physical as players and coaches from both sides quickly rushed to midcourt.
It took a while, but the two were eventually pried loose from each other.
The end result of the incident was Dort being ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul, while Jokić and Williams were hit with offsetting technical fouls.
Further replay showed a side of Jokić that was frankly terrifying.
The incident was part of a thriller between two teams that could be seeing each other in the NBA playoffs. The game went to overtime after Jokić tied the game with 38 seconds left in regulation.
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The extra five minutes wound up being one-sided in favor of the Thunder, who shut down the Nuggets for a 127-121 win.
Jokić finished the game with 23 points on 9-of-25 shooting, 17 rebounds and 14 assists. while Jamal Murray led all scorers in scoring with 39 points. Only two other Nuggets scored more than seven points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, making his return from an abdominal strain, led the Thunder with 36 points and 9 assists in 34 minutes, while Chet Holmgren had 15 points, 21 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Denver had led the game by as many as 16 points in the first quarter, but OKC came back and triumphed despite Gilgeous-Alexander missing all of overtime due to a minutes restriction. OKC’s depth ended up being the difference, with players like Williams, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain all making key plays over the course of the game.
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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.