By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points in his return after missing nine games with an abdominal strain, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in overtime on Friday night in a testy matchup that featured multiple technical fouls and an ejection.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, didn’t play in overtime, but the Thunder still pulled through in the extra period.
Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who got into an altercation with Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort in the fourth quarter, had 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 14 assists. Dort was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul.
Dort fouled Jokic, and the Denver star got in Dort’s face. A scrum ensued and Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams were called for offsetting technical fouls. Dort was issued a Flagrant 2 and ejected.
The situation was brewing from the start. The Thunder beat Denver 4-3 in the Western Conference semifinals last season, and the Nuggets — especially Jokic — were committed to matching Oklahoma City’s aggressive style.
Dort was a first-team All-Defensive selection last season with a reputation for pushing the boundaries of acceptable physical play. Crew chief James Williams said after the game that Dort’s hip check/trip combination was dangerous.
“Lu Dort was assessed a flagrant foul penalty 2 because we deemed his contact on Jokic to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury, and also because the contact led to an altercation that did not dissolve,” Williams said. “So, by rule, a flagrant foul penalty 2 carries an automatic ejection.”
Jokic, who had initiated contact with Thunder players throughout the game rather than letting it come to him, finally had enough.
“It’s an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction,” Jokic said. “I think there are not supposed to be those things on the basketball floor, so it was just an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me.”
Nuggets coach David Adelman said he understood why Jokic finally snapped. He feels Jokic gets beat up when he’s away from the basket and doesn’t get the calls because of his 7-foot, 284-pound frame.
“I think he was reacting to what was being done to him,” Adelman said. “And his reaction’s not going to be cower away. He’s competitive.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he’s fine with the ejection as long as the call is consistent.
“If J. Will (Jalen Williams) is running off 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 it becomes a malicious play, and flagrant 2 is the line in the sand on that, we would expect that if it’s J. Will, we’d expect that it’s anybody. And if that is the case, we’re good.”
This matchup was physical from the start. Gilgeous-Alexander was called for a technical in the opening minutes when he threw the ball at Jokic, who made high contact with him after play had stopped. James Williams said he did not consider the contact by Jokic’s left forearm to be unsportsmanlike.
Denver’s bench was called for a technical in the third quarter, and there was plenty of trash talking and shoving throughout.
The teams meet again on March 9th in Oklahoma City.
“When we play them again, whatever it is, in like 10 days, I’m sure it’ll be the exact same way,” he said.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, listed as questionable with an illness before the game, led the Nuggets with 39 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander started and drew loud applause when his name was announced in pregame introductions. His first basket came on a driving layup two minutes into the game.
The teams are very familiar with each other — after the aformentioned 4-3 result in the Western Conference semifinals last year. The Thunder won the first two meetings this season and they play twice more.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points in the first half, but Denver led 59-50 after making 11 of 20 3-pointers before the break.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 points in the third quarter to help the Thunder chip away, but the Nuggets took an 83-77 lead into the fourth.
The Thunder started off hot in the fourth quarter, and Dort’s 3-pointer finally put Oklahoma City up 86-85.
A few minutes later, Dort was ejected.
Fittingly, the tightly contested game went to overtime tied at 107.
Up Next
The Thunder play at Dallas on Sunday.
