An OKC Commentator Slammed Nikola Jokic For Flopping Against Lu Dort. Then He Saw The Replay

It wasn’t that long ago when Nikola Jokic wanted to pick a fight with Lu Dort for apparently tripping him during a Nuggets-Thunder clash. That night, the image of Jokic with a maniacal smile on his face drew fervent support from his fans and consternation and hostile reactions from Thunder die-hards.

When the Nuggets took on the Thunder again this past Monday, there was one hostile reaction to Jokic that went viral. This time, it was from no less than a Thunder commentator.

As the defending champions led 123-116 with less than two minutes to go in regulation, Jokic and Jamal Murray were running their signature two-man play. Murray tried to use a Jokic screen to separate himself from his defender Dort, but the Thunder guard refused to allow any space. Dort gave chase above the screen, but as he did so, his left arm flailed upwards and Jokic went down.

“Are you kidding me?” FanDuel TV’s Michael Cage exclaimed as Jokic lay on the floor. “He didn’t even get hit in the face!”

Then, Cage went into a replay. “Take a look at this, folks. I gotta show it to you. Take a look at this. He gets around the screen…”

Cage’s voice trails off as the referee announces that Dort’s defensive play will be reviewed. At that point, the referee’s voice may have allowed Cage to save face.

Why? Because the replay (yes, the same slo-mo clip that Cage wanted viewers to pay attention to) showed evidence of Dort’s arm colliding with Jokic’s face. It takes a lot for a 6-foot-11, 284-pound Serbian center to hit the deck, after all.

Was Jokic (an intense competitor of Dort’s teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the MVP award) trying to sell the call? Perhaps. Did Jokic flop in that situation? He might not have needed to.

Dort did get the last laugh when Gilgeous-Alexander hit a clutch three to give the Thunder the separation they needed with 2.7 seconds left. Cage had plenty of celebratory words to say when SGA knocked that shot down. Ironically, just moments prior, words failed him.