Another day and another fight in the NBA. Gradually, this is becoming the norm in the league right now. This time, it was between the former MVP Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City Thunder star Luguentz Dort in the fourth quarter of the blockbuster clash between the Nuggets and the Thunder. Tempers flared, and flagrant fouls were dished out to both players as it turned out to be a full-blown on-court brawl. Jokic was tripped by Dort, and the latter was handed a Flagrant 2. While most people agreed with the referee’s decision, Shaquille O’Neal shared a different perspective.

Shaquille O’Neal felt that what Dort did was not malicious enough to be called a flagrant foul 2 and rather stated it as a ‘cheap shot’. He felt it was a common foul, even though he didn’t defend the Thunder star for his actions. “I wouldn’t say it’s a flagrant 2,: Shaq stated on his latest appearance in Inside the NBA. “It’s just a, you know, a medium, like it’s not even a hard check. It’s just like a medium check. Every now and then, Ernie, you got to touch people up. Like, this is not a game that, you know, a game that’s not physical, where you just let people run by. You touching them up.”

Instantly after Shaq completed his opinion on Dort’s foul on Jokic, Charles Barkley disagreed with the former Lakers legend. He shared his perspective about Dort and felt his actions were dirty. “I disagree with Shaq on that,” Barkley replied. “I don’t mind touching guys up. He tripped that man. That’s the only problem. Like, I believe in touching guys up. I think what Joker’s sensitive is, man, once you get hurt and you like, like, especially when somebody do something that’s dirty. Like when you, like this dude, he was out for a long time. And like, we all going to get touched up…But when you get hurt and then somebody do something dirty to you, man, your antennas are up.”

Barkley also had a point as he referred to Jokic missing as many as 16 games due to hyper extended knee, and he would be extra protective of his health. The Hall of Famer felt that Dort’s silly move could have injured Jokic once again, so he was fine with the Serb’s reaction and the referee’s decision on Dort. After the game, even Jokic felt his reaction was justified.

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Nikola Jokic defends his reaction while calling Dort’s foul unnecessary

Nikola Jokic had another decent outing, albeit in a losing cause, as the Nuggets fell short in a 121-127 overtime win for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jokic finished the night with a triple-double with 23 points, 14 assists, and 17 rebounds in 45 minutes. Jamal Murray and Christian Braun stepped in with 39 and 23 points, respectively.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took the limelight with 36 points, nine assists, and three rebounds. However, all of this became a footnote as the brawl between Jokic and Dort took at the limelight. Following Dort’s trip, Jokic became very aggressive and grabbed the Thunder star by his collar. Although he didn’t pull up punches, he was not happy with the dirty play. His aggression was justified as per several analysts and fans, but even the Serb feels it was the only way he could have reacted to an ‘unnecessary foul’.

“It’s an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction,” Jokic said after the game. “There is no such thing — I think there’s not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor. So, it was just an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me.”

As a result of the incident, Dort was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and automatically ejected. When Jokic chest-bumped Dort, Jaylin Williams entered the fray to protect his fellow player. The court saw an intervention from coaches and staff of both teams to calm things down, following a few shoves between Williams and Jokic.

With this loss, the Nuggets are fourth in the West with a record of 37-23, they share the same record with fifth-placed Minnesota Timberwolves. So they simply cannot afford to lose more games, or they will drop down in the standings. Interestingly, the Nuggets will face the Thunder again this season on March 9 in Oklahoma, and we can surely expect another heated contest there.