Thunder's Dort apologizes to Nuggets' Jokic after another flagrant foul

Dort committed his second flagrant foul on Jokic in the past two weeks during Oklahoma City's win over Denver.

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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Thunder wing Luguentz Dort said he apologized to Nuggets center Nikola Jokic after committing a second fourth-quarter flagrant foul on him in the past two weeks. Dort's flagrant foul in the closing moments of the Thunder's 129-126 win on Monday night didn't cause as much stir as his previous away-from-the-action trip of Jokic 10 days prior, which led to a confrontation between the two players. This time, Dort said he didn't mean to hit Jokic in the face while navigating a screen, and Jokic acknowledged the incident was "over since last time."

Why it matters

The repeated physical incidents between Dort and Jokic have added an extra layer of drama to the Thunder-Nuggets matchups this season. While the latest flagrant foul didn't escalate to the same level as the previous one, it still highlights the competitive tension between the two teams and players.

The details

In the closing moments of Monday's game, Dort swung his left arm around while trying to navigate a Jokic screen on the wing and whacked Jokic in the face. Officials ruled it a flagrant 1 foul, giving Jokic two free throws and Denver possession. Dort said he didn't mean to hit Jokic in the face, but acknowledged his arms were "everywhere" while going over screens. Jokic, unlike his reaction to the previous foul, said he felt this one was not crossing the line.

  • On February 27, Dort committed a foul on Jokic that led to a confrontation between the two players.
  • On March 10, Dort committed another flagrant foul on Jokic in the fourth quarter of the Thunder's 129-126 win over the Nuggets.

The players

Luguentz Dort

A wing player for the Oklahoma City Thunder who has committed two flagrant fouls on Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in the past two weeks.

Nikola Jokic

The star center for the Denver Nuggets who has been on the receiving end of the two flagrant fouls committed by Thunder player Luguentz Dort.

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What they’re saying

“Just lost in the competition. But shook his hand, [said] 'great game' and I apologized that that happened.”

— Luguentz Dort, Thunder wing (ESPN)

“It was over since last time.”

— Nikola Jokic (ESPN)

What’s next

The Thunder and Nuggets will meet for a fourth and final time of the regular season on April 10, two days before the end of the regular season.

The takeaway

The repeated physical incidents between Thunder's Dort and Nuggets' Jokic have added an extra layer of drama to their matchups this season, though the latest flagrant foul did not escalate to the same level as the previous one. The teams will meet one more time before the end of the regular season.