The final buzzer in Oklahoma City didn’t end the game—it lit the fuse. As the horn sounded on the Thunder’s 104–95 win over the Pelicans, Lu Dort and Jeremiah Fears locked eyes, grabbed jerseys, and turned a tense night into a postgame confrontation that spilled onto center court. Teammates rushed in, officials scrambled, and two stars walked off knowing the league would have something to say about it.

Now, the NBA has. The NBA handed down $25,000 fines to both players for their roles in the altercation, capping a night that already featured double technicals for Jaylin Williams and Saddiq Bey after their own trash-talk escalated late.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed the situation in his postgame press conference, directly criticizing the officiating crew. He described them as a “good crew” but said they “lost control of the game in the final minutes.” He traced the root of the end-game tension to the earlier Bey-Williams incident, stating the referees “could have managed that cleaner.”

Daigneault also explicitly argued that Dort committed a foul on the final play and that a whistle should have been blown regardless of score or time remaining: “If they do that, everybody stops playing, and you can legislate the situation as you normally would.” In his view, the lack of a call allowed emotions to boil over unchecked into the postgame chaos.

Despite the chaos, the NBA issued no suspensions. Dort and Fears each received a fine, a clear slap on the wrist. Moreover, the NBA surprised fans by issuing only penalties, while the Thunder claimed their 104-95 victory. Now, let’s understand what truly happened on the night of the Thunder vs. Pelicans game.

Why did the NBA fine Lu Dort and Jeremiah Fears?

Following a sluggish first quarter, Jeremiah Fears and Lu Dort brought fireworks at the end of the Thunder’s 104-95 win over the Pelicans. Tensions flared immediately after the final buzzer, forcing officials, coaches, and both benches to intervene before the situation escalated further. The drama centered on the game’s closing moments, leaving fans on edge.

Now, the Pelicans held the final possession with 0.2 seconds left. Fears grabbed an offensive rebound, but Dort, showing his trademark defensive intensity, blocked the attempt as time expired. That sparked the confrontation.

Dort shoved Fears, grabbed him, and pushed again. Fears refused to back down and retaliated by holding Dort, drawing both sides into a heated exchange.

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Meanwhile, the response was immediate and full-scale. Coaches, teammates, and referees rushed in to separate the two, while New Orleans’ head of basketball operations Joe Dumars also stepped onto the court. Reports confirmed that Fears required an escort from two Pelicans staff members into the tunnel to prevent further incidents.

So, at the end of the drama, the result came. And the result is a $25,000 blister on both players’ pockets.

Post-incident, Fears added another layer to the moment by taking to Instagram, where he labeled Dort “soft,” briefly stoking a rivalry narrative before both teams ultimately moved on. The league did the same, opting not to pursue further discipline once the immediate aftermath settled.

That context matters when placing the penalty on the NBA’s disciplinary spectrum. By league standards, this punishment sits firmly on the lighter end, especially for an on-court altercation that featured no punches, no injuries, and unfolded quickly after the buzzer.

Recent precedent reinforces that view. In December 2025, Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado received a two-game suspension and a fine exceeding $62,000, while Suns center Mark Williams was suspended for one game following a fistfight during a live game.

Earlier, in April 2025, a benches-clearing confrontation between the Pistons and Timberwolves led to multiple suspensions, including a two-game ban for Isaiah Stewart.