Referees reveal why Lu Dort's dangerous foul earned an ejection, detailing the unnecessary and excessive contact that escalated the game.
In the fourth quarter of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s OT win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, one of the more controversial plays of the entire season unfolded. It was a physical game that had already gotten very chippy, but Thunder guard Lu Dort took things too far.
As Nikola Jokic ran down the court to get set up for Denver’s next offensive possession, Dort unnecessarily checked Jokic in his lower body, sending him to the floor. And while the Nuggets superstar may have sold the contact to make the fall worse than it should have been, it resulted in a Flagrant Foul 2 on Dort, which ejected him from the game.
But not before a scuffle that ended in Jaylin Williams bring face-to-face with Jokic that resulted in the Denver center getting a technical foul.
After the game, Thunder reporter Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press was part of a pool report with Crew Chief James Williams, which gave transparency into the situation.
QUESTION: Why was [Nikola] Jokić not called for a technical foul for the post-whistle contact before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander threw the ball at him in the first quarter?
WILLIAMS: We did not believe the contact by Jokić's left forearm rose to the level of an unsportsmanlike act, therefore he was not assessed a technical foul.
QUESTION: Why was [Luguentz] Dort's foul upgraded to a flagrant 2?
WILLIAMS: Lu Dort was assessed a flagrant foul penalty 2 because we deemed his contact on Jokic to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury, and also because the contact led to an altercation that did not dissolve. So, by rule, a flagrant foul penalty 2 carries an automatic ejection.
QUESTION: Why was the physical confrontation between [Nikola] Jokić and [Jaylin] Williams not deemed worthy of an ejection for either player?
WILLIAMS: When we reviewed that play, we did not see any actions by either player that would have risen to the level of an ejection, which is why both players received unsportsmanlike technical fouls that were offset.
Time will tell if any further action is taken. It’s unclear whether a suspension of any kind is warranted. In the meantime, Oklahoma City will look to continue pushing forward following its impressive win over the Nuggets, which showed just how good this team can be when close to full health.
The Thunder’s next game will be on Sunday in Dallas against the Mavericks.