Tempers flared Friday night at Paycom Center.
A physical matchup between the Nuggets and Thunder escalated early in the fourth quarter when Denver star Nikola Jokic tumbled to the floor after contact from Oklahoma City guard Lu Dort.
With 8:03 remaining, Dort appeared to back into Jokic and extend his right foot as Jokic ran up the court. Jokic quickly got to his feet and confronted Dort, chest-bumping him as players gathered near midcourt.
“It’s an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction,” Jokic said after Denver’s 127-121 overtime loss, via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “There is no such thing that’s supposed to be on a basketball floor.”
After review, officials upgraded the foul on Dort to a Flagrant 2, resulting in an automatic ejection. Crew chief James Williams said the contact was deemed “unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury.”
Jokic and Oklahoma City center Jaylin Williams received offsetting technical fouls for their roles in the altercation.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault questioned the standard.
“If that’s the precedent, we would expect that if it’s anybody,” Daigneault said.
The confrontation overshadowed the return of reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 36 points but sat out overtime due to a minutes restriction.
Jokic finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists, though he shot 9-of-25 from the field as Denver dropped to 4-7 since his recent return from injury.
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