The overtime clash between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder had no shortage of intensity, but the moment everyone left talking about came away from the ball.
A trip by Lu Dort on Nikola Jokic ignited a confrontation that quickly escalated, resulting in multiple technical fouls and Dort’s eventual ejection.
After the game, Nikola Jokic did not shy away from explaining why he reacted the way he did.
“It’s an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction,” Jokic said. “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.”
Officials ruled Dort’s action worthy of an ejection, while Jokic and Thunder big man Jaylin Williams were each hit with double technical fouls after grabbing one another’s jerseys during the aftermath. The sequence drew sharply different reactions from the two benches.
Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault focused on what the play could mean moving forward if it becomes precedent.
“I will say this: If [Williams] is running up the floor and gets tripped, we expect a flagrant 2 from this point forward,” Daigneault said. “That’s all. 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. And if that’s the case, we’re good.”
From Denver’s side, head coach David Adelman framed the incident as the boiling point of a long, physical night for his star center.
“I think his frustration is sometimes because the game’s officiated differently out on the floor than it is near the basket, and I think he was reacting to what was being done to him,” Adelman said. “And his reaction’s not going to be to cower away. He’s competitive. … I know why he’s frustrated. I can feel his frustration with all the contact out there. He shot five free throws.
