"In the fourth quarter of Friday's game, Dort stuck out his leg to trip Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic after the inbound pass. An official called a foul on the play, but while Dort acted like he was wrongly accused, an incensed Jokic popped up and got in his face. Dort's teammate Jaylin Williams stepped in, and he and a still-fuming Jokic grappled as players and coaches attempted to separate them."
"In the NBA, the difference between a flagrant 1 and flagrant 2 is that the former is 'unnecessary contact' toward an opponent, while the latter is 'unnecessary and excessive contact.' Does that feel redundant? Yes. The official pool report with crew chief James Williams provided a little more explanation: The play had a 'high potential for injury.'"
"This incident comes about a month after Dort got into a shoving match with New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears as time expired in their Jan. 27 game. The NBA fined the two players $25,000 each for that scuffle. A month before that, during the Thunder's Christmas Day game against the San Antonio Spurs, Dort clipped Victor Wembanyama's leg while he was already engaged with an OKC defender in the paint."
Lu Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder was ejected from Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets for a flagrant 2 foul after intentionally tripping Nikola Jokic during an inbound pass. The play sparked a confrontation where Jokic confronted Dort, leading to a scuffle involving Jaylin Williams and other players. Officials upgraded the foul from a flagrant 1 to flagrant 2 due to high injury potential. The Thunder won 127-121 in overtime. This incident reflects a pattern of physical play by Dort, including previous altercations with Jeremiah Fears and Victor Wembanyama, demonstrating his aggressive defensive style that occasionally crosses into unsportsmanlike conduct.
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