標籤: Lou

The Oklahoma City Thunder could continue their five-game road trip by facing the Brooklyn Nets without three starters – All-Star Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Lou Dort. The Thunder clinched a playoff spot after defeating the Orlando Magic, becoming the first team to do so this season, while extending their winning streak to eight. Oklahoma City improved to 54–15.

However, if the defending champions are to extend their streak to nine, the Thunder will have to do it without Dortch and Hartenstein, with Holmgren listed as questionable on the injury report. Hartenstein, who returned from a left foot injury last week, is out due to management. Dort is out due to rest, and Holmgren, who is still recovering from a left hip injury, is listed as questionable.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 40 points, five rebounds and four steals in Tuesday’s win against the Magic. Chet Holmgren added 20 points, 12 rebounds and one block. Lou Dortch had five points and two rebounds and Isaiah Hartenstein had eight assists, seven rebounds and a block.

Alex Caruso addresses memorable play in Thunder’s win

One of the most memorable moments of the Thunder’s 113–108 win against the Magic occurred in the first half when Alex Caruso used his shoe to block a shot. Caruso, who was charged with goaltending and technical fouls during the game, admitted she regrets doing the dramahe said, according to Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.

Caruso said, “I’d never been in that situation before. It came next to me. So, I was like I’m going to use it.” “I just thought I was going to block it. Honestly, I didn’t know what the call was going to be. I didn’t know it was going to be goaltending and a take. If I had known that, I probably wouldn’t have made it.”

When Caruso realized it was too late to put his shoe back on during the game, he decided to use it.

“As soon as I got my shoe in my hands, I was thinking of using it,” Caruso said. “Not in a malicious way, but I’m going to try to make a play to stop the ball. It’s one of those weird NBA plays that probably won’t happen for the next 10 years.”

“As soon as I got my shoe in my hand, I thought about using it… It’s one of those weird NBA plays that probably won’t happen for another 10 years.”

Alex Caruso finding a technique for using his shoes to block a shot.

(via @justintohoops)pic.twitter.com/8QyPsPf1OB https://t.co/DPknnY5ha1

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 18 March 2026

Caruso finished with two points, eight rebounds and two steals in Tuesday’s win against the Magic.

Bam Adebayo took the NBA world by storm by scoring 83 points against the Washington Wizards, which is now the second most points ever recorded in a single game. He’s now in the history books between Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant, and that’s something no one can take away from him.

There are still people who will try to discredit what he did, and that’s been happening a lot since he made history. One reason for this is that he surpassed Bryant, and some people think it is outrageous that he broke his record, especially the way he did it.

Lou Williams, who had the chance to play with and against Bryant, had a message for those who are complaining about Adebayo’s historic night.

“If you’re a true Kobe Bryant fan, and you respect Kobe Bryant, you know that Kobe Bryant constantly hunted records and history, and he wanted those things,” Williams said on the Run It Back show. “That’s what we sign up for. We sign up to be competitive, that’s who we are. So if you really respect Kobe Bryant, you know he has a Mamba mentality. I promise you, he was going to get those 100 points; he wasn’t thinking about Wilt Chamberlain. He was thinking about getting a record. That’s who he was as a competitor.

“If you’re a true Kobe Bryant fan, and you respect Kobe Bryant, you know that Kobe Bryant constantly chased records and history.”

Lou Williams complained about fans dropping Bam Adebayo’s 83 points and Kobe’s 81 points.

(via @RunItBackFDTV)pic.twitter.com/ays4lp8Za3

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 11 March 2026

“For anyone watching this, it’s just disrespectful to Kobe Bryant, who just has a history of being revisionist. That guy wanted to take everybody’s head off. So if you respect him, cherish him, and love him the way you do, know that he would have hunted anybody down.”

Bryant was definitely the ultimate competitor, and he was going to do anything to win. That’s why Williams thinks people shouldn’t complain about Adebayo, because Bryant would have done the same if he had the chance.

There was another tense moment between Nikola Jokic and Luguentz Dort following the Denver Nuggets’ heartbreaking 129-126 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, courtesy of a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander game-winner.

Dort accidentally slapped the Nuggets star in the face while trying to steal a screen from Jokic. Jokic then fell to the ground and remained there for a long time and officials eventually called a flagrant foul on the Thunder wing.

What made this conversation so interesting was the fact that Dort had also blatantly fouled Jokic in their previous matchup. No Nuggets fan will soon forget how Dort intentionally headed back in Jokic’s direction in an attempt to knock him down, sparking a near-all-out brawl between the Northwest Division rivals.

But after the game, Jokic did not believe that unlike in the past, Dort had crossed the line that time.

“No, (he didn’t cross the line),” Jokic said after the game, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “It was over from last time.”

Jokic is not a player to hold grudges and he certainly did not do so against Dort. Considering how heated the games between the Thunder and Nuggets are, it’s all part of competing against the best.

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic holds no grudge against Lu Dort

Dort drew a lot of criticism after his flagrant foul on Jokic in the Thunder’s win over the Nuggets on February 27. But he apologized for hitting Jokic in the face this time, and unlike last time, it was very unintentional and an unfortunate consequence of his attempt to get on the big screen.

The Nuggets star is letting bygones be bygones be the way to move forward, especially if they are to lock in and really focus on getting over the Thunder’s hump.

Before facing the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault responded to Denver Nuggets head coach David Edelman’s recent comments on Lou Dort’s flagrant -2 against Nikola Jokic in Friday’s win. Edelman called out the Thunder’s Daigneault for his opinion on Dort’s ejection, which was mentioned to a reporter by Daigneault before Sunday’s matchup against the Mavericks.

Daigneault doubled down on my tech As of Friday night, reminding reporters that his stance on Dort’s flagrant -2 has not changed in the past 48 hours since the Thunder’s 127-121 overtime win against the Nuggets, according to Sports Illustrated’s Rylan Stiles.

“I’ll reiterate what I’ve said whenever we’ve played Denver for a long period of time, which is I have nothing but respect, we have nothing but respect for Denver,” Daigneault said. We are respected from top to bottom. We obviously have respect for Jokic, Gordon, Murray because those guys have worked together for so long and had a lot of success, but we also have respect for their staff.

I mentioned this during the playoffs last year. Like I said, I have nothing but the highest respect. I said it the other night – teams make each other better. That’s why this is a great matchup. That’s all I’ll say about it,” Daigneault concluded.

Mark Daigneault was asked about David Edelman’s comments today about Lou Dort’s Hardcore II over Nikola Jokic “We have nothing but respect for Denver” pic.twitter.com/ycNEp339jw

– Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) 1 March 2026

Clearly, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is not going to shadow Dort for his Major-2. At this point, he will stick to his response that the Nuggets and Thunder matchup is a physical match that brings emotions to a boil.

David Edelman responds to Thunder’s firing of Lou Dort

Nuggets head coach David Edelman didn’t hold back in his reaction to Thunder veteran Lou Dort after his stellar performance against All-Star Nikola Jokic on Friday. Daigneault never criticized Dort for his vicious foul on Jokic, which led to an interesting response from Edelman ahead of the Nuggets’ matchup against the Timberwolves on Sunday.

“Yeah, I think that’s him,” Edelman said. “He’s a more measured guy throughout the season — I think most guys are. If they’re measured they’re more productive. But there’s a point where we play these games, and he tackles anybody on the night [would] React that way. For Dort to take that shot – and then I guess it was no big deal from his perspective, how he saw it – is ridiculous.

“He was malicious. It was a cheap shot. Lou Dort is a great player, and I haven’t seen him do that before. But at some point, you’ve got to stand up for yourself, and so does the team. They’re a great team. That game itself was like that. But, yeah, Nicola, he’s who he is, man. You can’t have the success he’s had and you can’t be as competitive. There’s feelings inside that he’s in control, but that guy is very capable. And very willing to respond emotionally,” Edelman concluded.

The Thunder will face the Mavericks on Sunday.

Denver Nuggets head coach David Edelman has not defended All-Star Nikola Jokic for his reaction to Lou Dort’s headed 2 in Friday’s 127-121 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. During his postgame press conference, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault never criticized Dort for his hard-2. Instead, Daigneault hoped that the play would be called the same way if it was reversed, with no malicious intent.

Jokic retaliated by getting in Dort’s face. After this, a scuffle started between Thunder center Jaylin Williams and players of both the teams had to separate. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Edelman understands why Jokic reached his peak during the fourth quarter of the game, when tension was high between the Thunder and Nuggets.

“Yeah, I think that’s him,” Edelman said. “He’s a more measured guy throughout the season — I think most guys are. If they’re measured they’re more productive. But there’s a point where we play these games, and he tackles anybody on the night [would] React that way. For Dort to take that shot – and then I guess it was no big deal from his perspective, how he saw it – is ridiculous.

“He was malicious. It was a cheap shot. Lou Dort is a great player, and I haven’t seen him do that before. But at some point, you’ve got to stand up for yourself, and so does the team. They’re a great team. That game itself was like that. But, yeah, Nicola, he’s who he is, man. You can’t have the success he’s had and you can’t be as competitive. He’s got emotions that he keeps in control, but he’s a guy emotionally. Very capable and very willing to provide feedback.”

For this, Lou Dort was thrown out. pic.twitter.com/6JO8h2odv8

– SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) 28 February 2026

Apparently, the Nuggets’ David Edelman is not happy with how the Thunder responded to Dort’s foul after the game. When Jokic was asked about it by a reporter during media availability after the game, he didn’t hold back.

“There’s no such thing – I think things like that shouldn’t happen on a basketball floor,” Jokic said after the game. “So, it was an unnecessary move by me and a necessary reaction.”

The Thunder will host the Nuggets again on March 9 at Paycom Center.

Mark Daigneault’s opinion on the ejection of Thunder’s Lou Dort

After Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault called Lou Dort’s flagrant 2 on Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic uncharacteristic of him, All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said he didn’t see the play that made Jokic angry. Nuggets head coach David Edelman would probably have a different opinion. Officials deemed Dort’s play beyond the reach of the Nuggets’ MVP candidate, ruling out the veteran guard after an extensive review.

After the game, Daigneault chalked up Dort’s play to the Thunder guard’s competitive nature amid the fourth quarter of a physical matchup against the Nuggets.

“That was a weird 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 is 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 is trying to hurt anybody; they’re just great competitors. It just ended up being over. I think it was nothing more than that.”

The Thunder will face the Mavericks on the road on Sunday.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Following Friday’s 127-121 win in overtime, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gave his honest opinion on Lou Dort’s fourth quarter ejection for a scuffle with Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic. The two were forced to separate, which led to a physical altercation between Thunder centers Jaylin Williams and Jokic. Both centers received double technical fouls, while Dort’s night ended in the fourth quarter.

Daigneault addressed Dort after the victory fourth trimester ejection Coming off of their seven-game series in the Western Conference Semifinals, he reminded reporters how familiar his Thunder team is to the Nuggets.

“That was a weird 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 is 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 is trying to hurt anybody; they’re just great competitors. It just ended up being over. I think it was nothing more than that.”

Jaylin Williams and Nikola Jokic just went here to OKC.

Both could have been ejected after Williams came to the defense of Lou Dort. The fight is still under review pic.twitter.com/1zxS2glQJT

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 28 February 2026

One could argue that Nikola Jokic took his frustration out on Lou Dort’s lead-2 layup on Williams, who defended his teammate, as most centers in the NBA do. This likely played into the referee’s decision to keep Jokic in the game, causing him and Jaylin to be slapped with a double technical foul.

Daigneault’s only hope is that if the situation were reversed, Jokic would be heading to the locker room because of a major-2.

“I will say this: If J-Will is running upfield and slips, we expect a flagrant -2 from this point forward. That’s all,” Daigneault said. “If that’s the precedent, if it becomes a malicious game, and Major-2 is the line in the sand on that, then we would expect that if it’s J-Will. We would expect that if it’s anyone. And if that’s the case, we’re good.”

Mark Daigneault’s honest opinion on Lu Dort’s ejection after scuffling with Nikola Jokic: “I will say this: If J-Will is running the floor and slips up, we expect a flagrant -2 from this point forward.

That is all.” pic.twitter.com/HFTcdINFdN

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 28 February 2026

Williams finished with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and a block off the bench before closing out the Thunder’s victory in overtime.

Mark Daigneault missing overtime on Thunder’s SGA

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault sat Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in overtime of Friday’s win against the Nuggets. Due to an abdominal injury that caused him to miss the Thunder’s last nine games, Gilgeous-Alexander was on a one-minute ban that went on unannounced before the defending champions’ showdown against the Nuggets.

Daigneault explained what was a factor in the Thunder decision Gilgeous-Alexander was benched after the fourth quarter.

“He’s coming off a 24-day injury. He’s coming back to play. One of the conditions to get him on the court tonight is to hold him to a certain point in terms of minutes,” Daigneault said. “We actually discussed that situation with both him and [Hartenstein] Before the game. Just so we can all be clear, in a non-emotional moment, that if we were in that situation, this is what we would do.

“We obviously did that. I understand it’s a little unconventional, but, at the end of the day, we’re trying to prioritize the health of our players as they come back from injury.”

Mark Daigneault on SGA sitting out in OT: “He’s coming off a 24-day injury. Getting back to playing. One of the conditions to get him on the court tonight is to keep him at a certain point in terms of minutes.

“We actually discussed that situation with both him and [Hartenstein]” pic.twitter.com/WjoOQwiwO9

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 28 February 2026

Gilgeous-Alexander’s 36 points, nine assists, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals led to a 16-point comeback by the Thunder in the second half before the defending champions won in overtime without their reigning MVP.

The Atlanta Hawks’ unexpected collaboration with the Magic City garnered national attention this week, and former NBA guard Lou Williams fully supports the partnership.

Williams spoke during Friday’s episode of Run It Back and called the partnership a real celebration of Atlanta culture.

“We’re working on some details, but I’m in full support of it. Shout out to my good people and my relationships in the Magic. I love that Atlanta is embracing some of our culture in the city. It’s a nice link… I know a lot of people won’t understand it. A lot of people don’t understand it, but I’m glad it’s going global because now you all understand me. That’s what we do in Atlanta. I know some of these. Y’all’s imaginations.” Wild, but that’s what we do in the city. So shout out to my good people at Magic. I love seeing them come together and see them on this stage.

The Hawks unveiled the collaboration on Thursday, revealing “Magic City Monday”, a themed promotion tied to their March 16 home game against the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, with the broadcast set for NBCSN and Peacock. The team also revealed a co-branded hoodie featuring the Magic City name across the chest next to the Hawks’ logo.

“I’m glad it’s going global because now you all understand me. …I know you all have imaginations running wild.”

Lou Williams on the Hawks are paying homage to Atlanta’s famous strip club ‘Magic City’ when they host Orlando next month.

(via @RunItBackFDTV)pic.twitter.com/OGPxM2OHyR

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 27 February 2026

‘Lemon Pepper Lou’ legacy resurfaces as Hawks lean toward Atlanta culture

The pairing has attracted additional attention due to Williams’ own history with the club. He earned the nickname “Lemon Pepper Lou” after a widely publicized incident during the NBA’s 2020 COVID-19 bubble in Orlando, when he left the restricted environment to visit the Magic City and was photographed with rapper Jack Harlow before returning. The league imposed a quarantine on Williams, costing him his time with the Los Angeles Clippers at the time, and fans began referring to him by the nickname tied to the club’s signature Lemon Pepper Wings. Williams later adopted the phrase, even securing a trademark on “Lemon Pepper Lou” as part of his personal brand.

On the court this season, Atlanta (30-31) is ninth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Hawks picked up their third consecutive win on Thursday with a 126-96 win over the Washington Wizards and will look to continue their momentum when they host the Portland Trail Blazers (29-31) on Sunday at 6 pm ET.

Whether celebrated or criticized, the Hawks’ partnership with the Magic City has thrust a local cultural touchstone into the national spotlight, with Williams emphasizing that the move reflects something authentic about Atlanta.