Lou Dort has made a name for himself by being the heart and soul of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is the one who sets the level of physicality on defense, and his strong play helped make the Thunder a championship organization.
However, his intensity and physical play sometimes cross the line, as he did on Friday against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Given the success of both organizations in the Western Conference, the Thunder and Nuggets have become intense rivals over the years, leading to some heated and emotional battles on the court. On Friday, tensions between these two teams reached a new level when he appeared to intentionally foul Jokic, sending the three-time MVP to the ground and leading to a scuffle between the two sides.
Nikola Jokic faces Lu Dort and Jaylin Williams
– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 28 February 2026
After a scuffle separated the two sides, the play was reviewed and Dort was ejected from the game after receiving two serious fouls. Dort has since been under heavy scrutiny from fans for his actions against the Nuggets, leading to him breaking his silence on the matter.
“It was a physical game the whole game,” Dort told Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic in Chicago on Tuesday night. “Obviously, there was unnecessary contact that I shouldn’t have made. Getting kicked out of the game hurt me the worst. But yes, it was a high-level game. I’m a competitor, so I compete.”
The 26-year-old wing claimed that the game against Denver was a physical battle with “his limits,” but he also said he “crossed the line” in regards to his play with Jokic.
Not only are NBA fans picking sides on what happened in last week’s game between the Thunder and Nuggets, but Denver head coach David Edelman also shared his thoughts on what happened, calling Dort’s actions “ridiculous.”
“For Dort to take that shot — and then I think from his perspective it was no big deal, how he saw it — is ridiculous,” Edelman said. “That was malicious. It was a cheap shot. Lou Dort is a great player, and I haven’t seen him do that before.”
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault responded to the criticism surrounding Dort’s ejection from Friday’s game, saying the incident was the result of a “chippy game” and “things escalate like that sometimes.” Daigneault did not comment on whether he felt Dort’s actions were unnecessary or excessive, leading officials to eject him from the game.
Speaking with Lorenzi in Chicago on Tuesday, Dort responded to the perception many people have of him calling him a dirty player.
“It’s a tough job for me to guard the best players every night,” Dort said. “I don’t think I’m dirty. I can’t control the media. The media always wants some kind of attention or something. They want that buzz. I can’t control it…
“I’m not dirty.”
No further action was taken by the NBA for what happened between the Thunder and Nuggets, as Dort played against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night, recording four points and five rebounds in a 116-108 Oklahoma City victory.
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