The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder renewed their rivalry on Friday as the Nuggets faced the Thunder in OKC for the first time since Game 7 of the 2025 Western Conference Semifinals. 

The Thunder managed to outlast the Nuggets, winning 127-121 in overtime. 

Perhaps the bigger story was the incident in the fourth quarter when Thunder guard Lu Dort stuck his hip out and tripped Jokic after a made Thunder basket. 

Jokic got up and immediately went after Dort. Thunder forward Jaylin Williams stepped in, leading to the two grabbing at each other, and Jokic swiping away at Williams. 

The end result was offsetting technicals on Jokic and Williams, and a flagrant 2 on Dort, causing him to be ejected from the game. 

After the game, Jokic told the media, "It is what it is. I'm not going to comment. It's an unnecessary move and a necessary action. I think there is not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor. It was an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me."

Asked if he thought Williams came in and escalated the situation, Jokic said he wasn't going to comment as it wasn't worth it. 

Finally, Jokic was asked if he thought he might be ejected for his role in the incident, he replied, "I think I didn't do nothing." 

The incident occurred with 8:03 remaining in the fourth and the Thunder leading by two. 

Jokic noted in his post-game comments that the Thunder are "trippy, handy, and on edge," but he felt his team responded well to the physical play. 

OKC was charged with three technical fouls and two flagrant fouls during the game. The Nuggets were charged with more overall fouls, 22-16. 

The Nuggets and Thunder have been the class of the West for the last three seasons with Denver winning the NBA Championship in 2023 and Thunder winning the title last season. 

Their 2025 playoff battle went seven games and was a physical grind full of momentum swings. Through that series, the two teams have developed a healthy rivalry, though things escalated beyond the point of competition on Friday with Dort's play and the aftermath. 

If the current standings held, the two teams would meet again in the second round as OKC occupies the top seed in the West while the Nuggets sit fourth. A second-round matchup is dependent on both teams winning their respective first-round series. 

They will play at least two more times this year. They'll meet in OKC on March 9, and play for a final time in Denver on April 10, which is the second-to-last game before the end of the regular season.