Dort ejected for tripping Jokic as Thunder beat Nuggets in overtime

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort was ejected for a flagrant foul on Nikola Jokic, who described the trip as “unnecessary” following Denver’s overtime defeat.

The incident occurred early in the fourth quarter at the Paycom Center when Dort appeared to stick his leg out to trip the three-time MVP.

Jokic reacted furiously to the contact, sparking a heated confrontation involving players from both sides.

‘A necessary reaction’

The Serbian superstar immediately pounced to his feet to confront the Canadian guard after tumbling to the court.

“It’s an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction,” Jokic said after the 127-121 loss.

“There is no such a thing — I think there’s not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor.”

Thunder centre Jaylin Williams rushed in to intervene, exchanging shoves with Jokic before officials separated the group.

“Just competing,” Williams said regarding the scrum. “Two teams competing, that’s it.”

Officials explain ejection

Referees upgraded the call to a Flagrant Foul 2 after a video review, resulting in an automatic ejection for Dort.

Crew chief James Williams stated the contact was deemed “unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury”.

He added that the subsequent altercation was a contributing factor in upgrading the ruling.

Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault accepted the decision but called for consistency in future officiating.

“If [Williams] is running up the floor and gets tripped, we expect a Flagrant 2 from this point forward,” Daigneault stated.

Tensions were already high between the Western Conference rivals following a gruelling seven-game series in last season’s play-offs.

Gilgeous-Alexander shines on return

The on-court drama overshadowed the return of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander following a nine-game absence.

He scored 36 points and provided nine assists in 34 minutes to help the Thunder secure the victory.

However, the guard sat out the overtime period having reached his minutes limit following an abdominal strain.