There was drama in the fourth quarter of the blockbuster matchup between the OKC Thunder and Denver Nuggets on Friday, with tempers flaring and flagrant fouls being handed out. Nikola Jokic was on the receiving end of a very questionable trip by Lu Dort. The Serb was not pleased, to say the least.
Dort was given a Flagrant 2, which ended his night, but Jokic was not happy with just that. The seven-footer, absolutely fuming, sparked a brief brawl. He looked menacing and grabbed Dort by the collar, appearing to be seconds away from landing a colossal blow.
Thankfully, Jokic did not punch anyone, but his aggressive reaction was viewed as justified by Shaquille O’Neal, who dissected the entire situation on the post-game show.
Shaquille O’Neal stated that what Dort did amounted to a “cheap shot.” According to him, 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
That said, O’Neal 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 the Lakers legend, who didn’t defend Dort, but downplayed the intent.
O’Neal’s long-time broadcast partner Charles Barkley, however, did not like how Dort behaved and disagreed with him. “We 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,” he said.
Barkley was referring to Jokic’s recent time missed due to a hyper-extended knee. He had to sit out of 16 games, 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.
