The Thunder and Pelicans came together after the final buzzer of Tuesday’s game, but they weren’t exchanging dinner plans.
A bench-clearing scuffle broke out in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter as Thunder guard Lu Dort and Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears got into a shoving match as the game came to a close, leading to teammates, coaches and officials to try and calm the situation down.
The game ended in a 104-95 win for the Thunder, but Fears and Dort’s scuffle was the biggest moment of the night between the two teams.
Video showed Fears had to be restrained by members of the Pelicans organization, and even team president Joe Dumars got on the court to try to calm things down.
Fears was seen being held back as he was moved down the tunnel toward the team locker room.
No fouls were issued since the game was over, though it’s unclear if the league will hand down any supplementary discipline.
“I had heard them going back and forth after I made the last two free throws, but I wasn’t sure what happened,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters after the game. “And then I turn around and they were face-to-face. I’m sure it was nothing crazy, though. Typical basketball scuffle.”
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters that he thought the officiating crew lost control of the game in the final few minutes, saying that the “whole altercation at the end started way before.”
Dort finished the night with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Fear had seven points and two rebounds coming off the Pelicans’ bench.
The loss moved the Pelicans to 12-37 on the season, as they sit in last place in the Western Conference.
The Thunder remained best in the conference with their 38th win of the season.
