Drama unfolded in the fourth quarter of the blockbuster matchup between the OKC Thunder and Denver Nuggets on Friday. OKC won the game 127-121, but not before tempers flared, and flagrant fouls were handed out, with Nikola Jokic on the receiving end of a very questionable trip by Lu Dort.
Dort was given a Flagrant 2, which ended his night. But Jokic, possibly riled up that the game was slipping away as well, was not happy with just that. The seven-footer, absolutely fuming, began a brief brawl.
Jokic looked menacing and grabbed Dort by the collar, appearing to be seconds away from landing a blow. Thankfully, he did not punch anyone. Jokic’s aggression found one backer in Shaquille O’Neal, who justified the reaction while dissecting the incident on the post-game show.
O’Neal stated that what Dort did amounted to a “cheap shot.” According to the Lakers legend, the first thought one should have after something like that is, “Hey, you could have hurt me.”
“He was smart not to throw any punches,” O’Neal continued. “But he had to give him that intense look to show him, ‘I’m not playing.'”
“When you get hurt, and then somebody do something dirty to you, … your antennas are up.”
—Charles Barkley and the Inside the NBA crew reacts after Lu Dort tripped Nikola Jokic, resulting in a Dort ejection. pic.twitter.com/1yPiuS4LgE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 28, 2026
However, O’Neal also insisted that although what Dort did was silly, it was not malicious enough to warrant a Flagrant foul 2. It was a common foul, according to Shaq. Well, he wasn’t defending Dort, but downplaying the intent.
O’Neal’s long-time broadcast partner, Charles Barkley, however, did not like how Dort behaved. Chuck, as it is usually the norm, disagreed with Shaq.
“We [are] all gonna get touched up. All guys get hit accidentally… but when you get hurt, and somebody do something dirty to you, man, your antennas are up,” said Barkley, who was referring to Jokic’s recent time missed due to a hyper-extended knee.
Jokic was forced to sit out 16 games due to the injury. And what Dort did may have injured him once again. So, in Barkley’s opinion, both the refs’ decision and the Serb’s reaction were justified.
