Lu Dort Breaks Silence on Heated Scuffle With Nikola Jokic

The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder have had a budding rivalry since meeting in last year's playoffs, and things escalated in their most recent meeting.

The Nuggets traveled to face the Thunder in Oklahoma City last Friday, and tensions rose when Lu Dort body-checked Nikola Jokic. Jokic was sent to the ground, but quickly got up and rushed to get in Dort's face. The two went at it, and Thunder big man Jaylin Williams also got involved. Dort was ultimately ejected, while Jokic and Williams each picked up technical fouls.

A few days later, while talking to The Athletic's Joel Lorenzi, Dort admitted that he was at fault for the foul, calling it "unnecessary."

“It was a physical game throughout the whole game,” Dort said. “Obviously, that was unnecessary contact that I shouldn’t have done. I got the worst of it by getting thrown out the game. But yeah, it was a high-level game. I’m a competitor, so I compete. ... That’s a physical game and there’s limits to it. And I went over the limit."

Jokić and Thunder get HEATED after Lu Dort flagrant 😳

Dort was ejected from the game pic.twitter.com/Mrz52EvLFR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 28, 2026

Dort's cheap shot on Jokic

While Jokic's reaction might have been a bit extreme, causing a big scuffle, it is easy to see why he was so upset. This was undoubtedly a cheap shot by Dort, especially with Jokic already dealing with some injuries, and Dort was right to admit it was unnecessary.

Jokic and Nuggets head coach David Adelman both expressed how displeased they were with Dort's foul, while Adelman also said that he did not appreciate the Thunder downplaying the incident.

"For Dort to take that shot—and then I guess it wasn't that big of a deal from [the Thunder's] standpoint, how they looked at it—is ridiculous," Adelman said. "That was malicious. It was a cheap shot."

With 36 hours of distance from the Nikola Jokic/Lu Dort incident, Nuggets coach David Adelman called it a cheap shot this morning and said it was "ridiculous" for OKC to not think it was a big deal. He spoke about seeing the fiery side of Nikola Jokic come out: pic.twitter.com/D1vlL4Ermv
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) March 1, 2026

Dort also admitted how he understands why Adelman and Jokic reacted that way, saying, "They were right. That was an unnecessary move by me, something I shouldn’t have done."

The Nuggets vs. Thunder rivalry

The Nuggets are now 0-2 against the Thunder this season, having yet to get revenge for losing to the eventual champions in the second round of last year's playoffs. The two Western Conference powerhouses are set to meet again on Monday, and Dort also told Lorenzi how much he enjoys the battles with Denver.

“Every time we play against each other, it’s always a battle,” Dort said. “(His flagrant foul on Jokic) has nothing to do with going against that team. We love going against that team. It’s always a nice matchup whenever we play against them. And it’s fun.”

The Nuggets will need Jokic to stay composed over their next stretch of games, as not only are they facing the Thunder on Monday, but they also have seven straight matchups against top-six seeds. It is always interesting when Jokic's ultra-competitive side shines through, like when Dort fouled him last week, but after shooting 9-25 from the field in their last loss to OKC, his focus might have been lost in the madness.

It would not shock anyone if these two teams met in the playoffs again, and the Nuggets need to ensure Dort's antics do not get under their skin.