SGA Addresses Dort–Jokić Incident After Thunder Win

If the Oklahoma City Thunder needed a reminder of what postseason basketball feels like, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander believes Friday night provided it.

Returning after missing nine games with an abdominal strain, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points as Oklahoma City defeated the Denver Nuggets 127–121 in overtime in one of the most physical, emotionally charged games the Thunder have played this season.

Rather than shy away from the tension — including a fourth-quarter ejection and multiple technical fouls — Gilgeous-Alexander welcomed it.

“It was great — the physicality,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Two teams wanted to win really badly, and they were going at it. They’re obviously a high-level team. We’re a high-level team, and we’ve seen each other a lot over the past couple of years.”

“End-of-season basketball is like that. It’s chippy, it’s physical. So it was good to get one of those in the regular season.”

He did not view the incident as a controversy, but as a necessary test for a Thunder team with back-to-back championship ambitions.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Downplays Incident Involving Lu Dort

The game’s defining moment came with 8:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Luguentz Dort was ejected after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for tripping Nikola Jokić during a scramble.

The play sparked a brief altercation, with Jokić and Jaylin Williams exchanging shoves and receiving offsetting technical fouls.

Asked about the incident, Gilgeous-Alexander avoided speculation and defended his teammate’s intent.

“As far as the scrimmage, that’s usually how it goes,” he said. “Something happens, one team roars, the other team roars. I’m not too sure what happened. Lou got thrown out, and Lou’s not that type of guy. He’s just trying to go out there and win.”

“I didn’t really see what happened, but yeah — it’s all good.”

His response reflected Oklahoma City’s approach throughout the game: absorb the moment, move forward, and keep playing.

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Thunder Close Without Dort and Without SGA in Overtime

Despite losing Dort — one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders — and sitting Gilgeous-Alexander for overtime as a precaution, the Thunder still out-executed Denver in the extra period.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished regulation strong before watching from the bench as Oklahoma City leaned on depth, pace, and defensive discipline to seal the win.

Jokić recorded a 23-point, 17-rebound, 14-assist triple-double, but Denver couldn’t fully capitalize after Oklahoma City’s lineup was reshuffled.

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Nikola Jokić, Officials Address the Altercation

Jokić declined to escalate the situation after the game.

“It is what it is,” Jokić said. “I’m not really going to comment on it. It was an unnecessary move and an unnecessary reaction.”

Crew chief James Williams later explained the decision to eject Dort.

“Lu Dort was assessed a Flagrant foul penalty 2 because we deemed his contact on Jokic to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury,” Williams said in a pool report. “By rule, a Flagrant 2 carries an automatic ejection.”

Williams added that neither Jokić nor Jaylin Williams committed actions warranting ejection, leading to offsetting technical fouls instead.

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A Playoff-Type Test the Thunder Welcome

For Oklahoma City, the bigger takeaway wasn’t the officiating or the altercation — it was how the team responded.

The Thunder handled adversity, matched the Nuggets’ physicality, and won a playoff-style game without two key contributors on the floor late. Gilgeous-Alexander’s calm perspective afterward underscored a team growing comfortable with pressure.

Friday night wasn’t just a regular-season win. It was a rehearsal and one the Thunder, led by their MVP, were more than happy to embrace.

Alder Almo is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo