Lu Dort’s attempts to guard Nikola Jokic have now escalated twice in ten days, resulting in two flagrant fouls and a stern off-court warning about who he’s really messing with. In the previous meeting, Dort was ejected for intentionally tripping Jokic, which led to a full-scale brawl on the court. On Monday, he received another flagrant foul for a shot to Jokic’s face. Recently, a former NBA star has warned Dort not to mess with Jokic.

Nick Young, who appeared in the recent episode of the Gil’s Arena Show podcast, clearly warned the Thunder to be wary of Jokic’s brothers. “You ain’t got to worry about Joker, you got to worry about his brothers after the game. That’s the only thing, Lu Dort, if they see each other in the playoffs, you might want to go out and have some dinner in Denver. You got to watch out for them crazy motherf——,” Young stated.

He added, “What he did last night—it’s a part of the game. I love that they are making a playoff atmosphere, but I just know from seeing certain things from the couple of days I was there—his brothers are big too. And they got into a fight when I was there. So you got to watch out for them, you keep messing with him.”

Jokic has two elder brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, who have been extremely supportive of his NBA career. Both his brothers have some serious experience on the basketball court. Strahinja played in Europe, mostly in Serbia, but his career didn’t reach the heights like his brother’s. Whereas Nemanja moved to the USA to pursue college basketball and featured for Detroit Mercy from 2006 to 2009.

When Jokic was drafted by the Nuggets, both his brothers packed their bags and settled in Denver to help him feel at home and focus on his game. They weren’t just visiting for a few games; they moved to the USA so that their brother feels at home while chasing his NBA dream. So they are extremely protective of the 31-year-old, and Nick Young warns Dort about it as well.

Nikola Jokic’s brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, have drawn attention over the years for their fierce courtside loyalty, which occasionally spills over into heated physical confrontations that underscore their protective instincts.

On April 22, 2024, during Game 2 of the Nuggets-Lakers playoff series at Ball Arena, Strahinja unleashed a punch at a fan’s face amid escalating trash talk, with Nemanja nearby, and later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and trespassing, receiving a year of probation.

Back on June 13, 2021, in Game 4 against the Suns, the brothers leaped to their feet in a towering display of fury after Nikola tangled with Devin Booker, shouting threats and poised for a brawl that mercifully stayed verbal. While social media threats flew in other spats, like the 2021 Morris feud.

Jokic was much calmer in this case; even after the game, he revealed that this time, Dort’s actions were different from the last game. So there’s no bad blood between the two. However, fans are eager to see the two clash in the playoffs.

Thunder star Lu Dort apologizes to Nikola Jokic for his recent actions

Things went really bad in the last encounter when Luguentz Dort tripped Jokic to the floor, and the Serbian big man instantly grabbed him by his collar, with other Thunder stars also getting involved. Eventually, coaches had to come onto the court to separate the players, and Dort was ejected after receiving a flagrant 2 foul.

He received widespread criticism for the foul, as many, including Jokic, felt it was a cheap, intentional move to injure him, despite knowing the 31-year-old had just returned from a knee hyperextension.

However, on Monday, we saw the same incident repeat. This time, Dort struck Jokic in the face while guarding him and was flagged for a flagrant foul. Despite the foul, Jokic didn’t get as mad as he got in the last game, as he felt Dort’s actions were unintentional. But Dort didn’t take any chances and revealed that he had already apologized to the Nuggets star.

“Just lost in the competition… But shook his hand, [said] ‘great game’ and I apologized that that happened, ” Dort revealed as per ESPN Insider Tim McMahon. “I didn’t mean to hit him in the face. But when I go over screens and stuff like that, my arms are just everywhere, and then unfortunately I just hit him in the face. … I didn’t think it was a flagrant 1. Unnecessary means I did [it] on purpose, which I didn’t.”

When Jokic was asked whether Dort crossed the line with his actions in Monday’s game, he simply replied, ‘No!’ This suggests that in the previous game, he was more worried about getting injured again, especially after missing multiple games due to a knee hyperextension.

Overall, Jokic had a fantastic triple-double night, recording 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists. However, despite his best efforts, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s step-back three sealed the win for the Oklahoma City Thunder with only 2.7 seconds left on the clock.