Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman isn't done defending All-Star Nikola Jokic for his response to Lu Dort's flagrant-2 in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 127-121 win in overtime on Friday. During his postgame press conference, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault never criticized Dort for his flagrant-2. Instead, Daigneault hoped the play would be called the same way if it happened in reverse, suggesting no malicious intent.
Jokic retaliated by getting into Dort's face. Then, Thunder center Jaylin Williams was followed by pushing and shoving, as players from both teams had to be separated. Adelman understands why Jokic reached his boiling point during the fourth quarter of the game, when tensions were high between the Thunder and the Nuggets, he said, per The Athletic's Sam Amick.
“Yeah, I think it is who he is,” Adelman said. “He's more of a measured person throughout the season — I think most people are. They're more productive if they're measured. But there's a point where we play these games, and what he deals with nightly, anybody [would] react that way. For Dort to take that shot — and then I guess it wasn't that big of a deal from their standpoint, how they looked at it — is ridiculous.
“That was malicious. It was a cheap shot. Lu Dort is a great player, and that's not what I've seen him do before. But at some point, you have to stand up for yourself, and the team does as well. They're a great team. That game was what it was. But, yeah, Nikola, that's who he is, man. You can't have the success he's had and not be that competitive. He has emotions inside of him that he keeps in check, but the guy is very capable and very willing to emotionally respond.”
Lu Dort got ejected for this. pic.twitter.com/6JO8h2odv8
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) February 28, 2026
Clearly, Nuggets' David Adelman isn't pleased with how the Thunder responded to Dort's foul after the game. Jokic didn't hold back when a reporter asked about it during his postgame media availability.
“There is no such thing — I think there's not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor,” Jokic said after the game. “So, it was just an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me.”
The Thunder will host the Nuggets again at the Paycom Center on March 9.
Mark Daigneault's take on Thunder Lu Dort's ejection
After Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault labeled Lu Dort's flagrant-2 on Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic as non-intentional, All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said he didn't see the play that triggered Jokic to be furious. Nuggets head coach David Adelman would probably beg to differ. Officials ruled Dort's play beyond a trip on the Nuggets' MVP candidate, ejecting the veteran guard following an extensive review.
After the game, Daigneault chalked up Dort's play to the Thunder guard's competitive nature amidst the fourth quarter of a physical matchup against the Nuggets.
“That was a chippy game. These are two teams that played each other in a seven-game series. We’re in the same division. We’ve played each other 100 times,” Daigneault said. “They know our playbook. We know their playbook. It’s just what it is. It’s going to be an imperfect game, and things escalate like that sometimes. I know Lu [Dort]. I know [Nikola] Jokic.
“I know J-Will. I don’t think anybody’s trying to hurt anybody; they’re just great competitors. That just boiled over. I think it was nothing more than that.”
The Thunder will face the Mavericks on the road on Sunday.
