Oklahoma City — thunder wing luguentz dort He said he apologized denver nuggets Center Nikola Jokic After committing another flagrant foul in the fourth quarter on him in the last two weeks.
“Just lost the contest,” Dort told ESPN’s Tim McMahon. “But shook hands with him, [said] ‘Great game’ and I apologize that it happened.”
Dort’s blatant foul in the Thunder’s final moments win 129-126 There wasn’t as much buzz or reaction Monday night as there was 10 days ago due to Jokic’s trip away from action.
In this example, Dort turned his left hand while trying to navigate a Jokic screen on the wing and hit Jokic hard in the face. The officials ruled it a foul after review, giving Jokic two free throws and possession to Denver.
“I didn’t mean to hit him in the face,” Dortch said. “But when I go on the screen and things like that, my arms are everywhere, and then unfortunately I hit her in the face. … I didn’t think it was a disrespectful thing. 1. Needless to say I did that. [it] On purpose, which I didn’t do.”
When Joc was asked after the game if he thought Dort’s foul crossed the line, he immediately responded “No”, which was different from his reaction to Dort’s foul on February 27, when he jumped and tackled Dort at the same time, causing a commotion at center court, and he later called Dort’s trip “unnecessary”.
When Jocic was asked Monday night if there were any hard feelings left, he said, “It’s gone from last time.”
Nuggets coach David Edelman criticized Dort’s drive in the first game, calling it “malicious” and a “lousy shot.” He indicated some frustration with Thunder coach Mark Daigneault’s post-game response that night, which downplayed the incident.
Daigneault said before Monday night’s game that he regretted his initial dismissive reaction.
“Lou acknowledged that the play was unnecessary,” Daigneault said. “I don’t think mine [postgame] If I’m honest the comments helped. His timing was insensitive. I was in a mode of protecting my team. I have accepted this. We are ready to move forward.”
That recent history provided a tense backdrop for Monday night’s blatant foul play, but there was almost no shock after the game from the Denver locker room. Edelman and Nuggets both wing Aaron Gordon Admittedly, the Dort foul actually gave a huge boost to Denver’s comeback.
The Nuggets were down by seven with 1:12 remaining when Dort was whistled for a flagrant. Jokic hit a free throw and then made a 3 on the extra possession, bringing them within three.
Denver tied the game with a foul on Jokic’s 3 with 8.5 seconds remaining. jamal mare. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Win it for the Thunder with a stepback Wing 3 with 2.7 seconds remaining, ending a thriller that featured another layer of Dort and Jokic drama.
“I’m done talking about that,” Edelman said. “It happens every time we play them. You’ve got to move past it and try to win the game. … His hand faltered. It happened to catch him in the face. That’s all I’ll say.”
The Thunder are 3-0 against the Nuggets this season. They meet for the fourth and final time on April 10, two days before the end of the regular season.
