Nikola Jokic’s Death Stare During Lu Dort Dust-Up Became an Instant Meme

Looks like there was some bad blood between the Nuggets and Thunder on Friday night.

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was riled up after getting fouled by Lu Dort in Friday’s game against the Thunder. | Screengrab on Twitter/ @PardonMyTake

Nuggets star Nikola Jokić isn’t usually one to lose his temper during NBA games, but one moment from Friday night’s tilt against the Thunder seemed to really get under his skin.

Jokić was involved in a fourth-quarter altercation with Thunder wing Lu Dort after Dort appeared to trip Jokic by sticking out his leg. Dort was ejected for committing a Flagrant 2 foul, deemed “unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury,” but not before Jokić angrily went after Dort.

Immediately after the foul, Jokić was seen getting up in Dort’s face which caused Thunder big man Jaylin Wiliams to step in and defend his teammate. The Nuggets star looked just about ready to throw a punch at Williams but held himself back, and tempers continued to flare in the ensuing scrum. At one point, as Jokić and Williams remained entangled, Jokić shot him a wild-eyed death stare that his since made the rounds on social media.

Lu Dort was ejected after appearing to trip Nikola Jokic on this play.

Nikola Jokic and Jaylin Williams both received technical fouls. pic.twitter.com/ZFyNHpigsM

— ESPN (@espn) February 28, 2026

NBA fans were taken aback by the three-time MVP’s intense expression:

“Did I ever tell you how I got these scars?….” 🃏 pic.twitter.com/J2DJ37vqbM

— O’Shea Jackson Jr (@OsheaJacksonJr) February 28, 2026

the joker was activated. this is cinema pic.twitter.com/LdShTYAbQP

— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) February 28, 2026

I’ve never see this level of crazy in Jokic’s eyes. And I love it pic.twitter.com/4H6o1U989N

— ThatsGoodSports (@BrandonPerna) February 28, 2026

Nah man Nikola Jokic was ready to take a life. Bro eyes look crazy as f**k pic.twitter.com/WblQnlvrtt

— Hater Report (@HaterReport) February 28, 2026

Why So Serious? 🃏 https://t.co/MRSOzpR5og pic.twitter.com/4klzQNGn73

— theScore (@theScore) February 28, 2026

Jokic said you don’t gotta love me but you will respect me pic.twitter.com/1pxA3TQMbI

— Sopranos World (@SopranosWorld) February 28, 2026

The two were eventually separated, with Jokić and Williams each picking up technical fouls.

Jokić defended his retaliatory actions in a postgame interview:

“I think there's not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor,” Jokić said of Dort’s foul. “So, it was just an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me.”

The Thunder ultimately came out on top in the heated clash between the fierce Western Conference rivals, overcoming a 16-point deficit to take home the 127-121 overtime win. The two teams are both contenders to represent the West in the NBA Finals, and any potential future playoff matchup will surely be must-see cinema following Friday night’s theatrics.

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