Nikola Jokic On Confrontation With Lu Dort: Unnecessary Move And A Necessary Reaction
Nikola Jokic took offense to Lu Dort tripping him on his up on the floor in the Oklahoma City Thunder's overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Jokic went after Dort in what the Nuggets center felt was a deserved response.
"It's an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction," Jokic said. "There is no such thing -- I think there's not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor. So, it was just an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me."
Dort was ejected for the play, while Jokic and Thunder center Jaylin Williams were assessed double technical fouls for grabbing each other's jerseys. Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault and Denver head coach David Adelman had different views of the play that led to the altercation.
"I will say this: If [Williams] is running up the floor and gets tripped, we expect a flagrant 2 from this point forward," Daigneault said. "That's all. If that's the precedent, if that becomes a malicious play and flagrant 2 is the line in the sand on that, we would expect that if it's [Williams]. We would expect that if it's anybody. And if that's the case, we're good."
Adelman said Jokic's reaction was the culmination of something that had been building all game.
"I think his frustration is sometimes because the game's officiated differently out on the floor than it is near the basket, and I think he was reacting to what was being done to him," Adelman said. "And his reaction's not going to be to cower away. He's competitive. ... I know why he's frustrated. I can feel his frustration with all the contact out there. He shot five free throws.
"It's just part of the game. The closer you get to the basket, it seems like for a bigger guy, it seems like it's called a little bit different, but he has to react to that the right way. Concentrate and finish through contact. And obviously with Dort's play, I think that took it to a different level for him. He felt like it was malicious, also."
