After days of speculation and replay scrutiny, Nikola Jokic finally broke his silence on the latest ugly incident involving Oklahoma City Thunder forward Lu Dort — and his response was as calm as ever.
The two players have been at odds all season, with tensions peaking earlier when Dort was accused of intentionally tripping the Nuggets superstar. Things appeared to cool off until Monday night’s thriller in Denver, where the drama reignited in the fourth quarter.
With the game hanging in the balance, Dort was fighting through a screen set by Jokic while trying to stay attached to Jamal Murray. As he curled around the 7-foot Serbian center, Dort’s elbow whipped up and caught Jokic flush in the face. The officials immediately whistled a Flagrant 1 foul, giving the Nuggets free throws and the ball. Despite the clear contact, Jokic never reacted emotionally on the court — and after the Nuggets’ heartbreaking 129-126 loss, he kept that same stoic demeanor when addressing the media.
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“Nikola Jokic says his face is fine. He doesn’t think Lu Dort crossed the line on the play,” Denver Gazette reporter Vinny Benedetto tweeted shortly after the game.
Jokic’s understated response immediately went viral. While most observers expected frustration or at least a pointed comment, the three-time MVP simply brushed it off, refusing to fuel the growing narrative of a personal feud.
That didn’t stop fans and analysts from dissecting the clip frame by frame. Watching Dort’s arm flail wildly as he tried to navigate the screen, the contact looked anything but incidental — especially given the significant height difference between the two players. Arms are often used defensively to feel space, but this swing appeared exaggerated and unnatural. Given Dort’s well-earned reputation as one of the league’s most physical (and sometimes overly aggressive) defenders, many felt Jokic had every right to be furious.
Yet the big man chose peace. Some insiders believe Jokic is deliberately downplaying the incident to keep emotions from boiling over in what has become a heated playoff-style rivalry between the Thunder and Nuggets.
Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman, however, sounded far less forgiving when asked about the play — though he quickly shut down further discussion.
“I’m done talking about that. Like, it’s every time we play them,” Adelman said. “You’ve got to move past it and just try to win the game. Obviously, that play helped us stay in the game. Sometimes a play like that can flip the game. It got us to tie the game.”
Adelman added: “I don’t know. His arms flailed. It happened to catch him in the face. That’s all I’ll say about it.”
It wasn’t the first time Adelman has publicly called out Dort’s unnecessary physicality, but on this night he made it clear the team’s focus must shift to winning rather than dwelling on questionable tactics.
The timing of the foul was critical. It slowed Oklahoma City’s momentum in the fourth quarter and helped Denver claw back into a game they ultimately dropped by just three points. Still, the broader concern for the Nuggets is real: with a rash of injuries already testing the roster this season, any extended absence for Jokic could be devastating.
The loss dropped Denver to 39-26, slipping them to sixth place in the Western Conference. After going just 4-6 in their last 10 games, the Nuggets know they need to find consistency fast if they hope to avoid the play-in tournament.
For now, though, the basketball world finally has its answer. The wait is over — and Nikola Jokic, true to form, refused to let the latest cheap shot rattle him.