Recent NBA games have been overshadowed by some intense clashes between players. During a matchup on Tuesday, the Suns faced off against the Nets, and things escalated between New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fiers and veteran Lou Dort of the Thunder. In the latter half of the game, they had to be separated, resulting in a total of five technical fouls. A push from Dort seemingly ignited a conflict in the game’s closing minutes, ultimately leading to a Thunder victory at 104-95.
No foul was called when Dort came into contact with Fiers during a layup, which quickly drew players and coaches from both teams into the fray, all trying to defuse the situation.
Following the game, Fiers didn’t hold back on social media, labeling Dort as “soft.” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault pointed fingers at those involved for not managing the incident before it spiraled out of control. He expressed dissatisfaction during the post-game press conference, stating, “I thought we lost control of the game in the last few minutes,” and noted that the conflicts had been brewing long before the last altercation.
Daigneault also felt that Dort should have received a foul call in that moment, emphasizing that the score shouldn’t dictate refereeing decisions. “If it was a foul, it should have been called regardless of the situation. In that case, everyone could have stopped and things might have been handled differently,” he said.
Shortly after the Thunder-Pelicans game wrapped up, another incident occurred during the Suns-Nets game. With under two minutes left in a close contest, Nets guard Egor Demin took down Suns forward Dillon Brooks, leading to a chaotic scene. The benches cleared, and the referees issued five technical fouls. Earlier in the contest, Brooks had already been hit with a technical for shoving Demin, marking the 15th technical foul for him this season—putting him just one game away from an automatic suspension.
In the aftermath, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez praised the players who stepped in to support Demin. “They’re just protecting each other and fighting for each other,” he commented, admiring their teamwork but also acknowledging the importance of maintaining boundaries to prevent injuries. “I’ve seen some dirty plays that weren’t called, which I believe contributed to the situation escalating.”
