OKLAHOMA CITY — After Lu Dort was separated from New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears, who was forcibly escorted off the floor by team officials and through the tunnel toward the visitors’ locker room like nightclub bouncers, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called out the referees. A 105-94 win against the Pelicans on Tuesday followed the Thunder’s two consecutive losses at the Paycom Center.

The defending champion closed out its three-game home stand on a high note before Dort shoved Fears after the final buzzer, and the benches cleared. For Daigneault, the physicality reached a point of no return between Dort and Fears, which followed up Jaylin Williams and Saddiq Bey’s double-technical foul, and officials lost control.

“Two things on it. The first one is: I thought good guys, good crew, but I thought they lost control of the game in the final minutes. That altercation at the end started well before that with the Bey and J-Will situation. I thought they could have managed that cleaner,” Daigneault said. “Then, the second thing is: I think that’s a foul on Dort.

“And if it was, they should put a whistle on that play regardless of the score and the time, because if they do that, everybody stops playing, and you can legislate the situation as you normally would. But, because they didn’t put a whistle on it, it’s the end of the game. You can do nothing about it, and you end up with that situation.”

After the Pelicans trimmed their 12-point deficit down to five (92-87) off a three from Fears, Williams and Bey had to be separated at the 1:18 mark of the fourth quarter, when the Thunder had a seven-point lead. The chippiness between the two teams never ended, according to Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, who thinks the officials needed to do a better job in taming the tension.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 29 points led Oklahoma City in scoring. Chet Holmgren finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks, and Isaiah Joe’s 17 points, including six threes, led the Thunder’s bench production.

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Lu Dort, Jeremiah Fears heated exchange in Thunder win

Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the second quarter at Paycom Center
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

After Lu Dort and Pelicans’ Jeremiah Fears were separated following their heated exchange at the end of the Thunder and Pelicans game, Fears continued to try to charge toward the Thunder veteran. From the opposite end of the floor to the players’ tunnel, team officials forcibly removed the rookie from the floor.

Williamson led the Pelicans with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Saddiq Bey added 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.