Lu Dort, Jeremiah Fears get into heated exchange after Thunder beat Pelicans

On Tuesday night, things were getting chippy between the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans, particularly late in the contest. Saddiq Bey and Jaylin Williams got into a shoving match with the game winding down in the Thunder’s favor, and following the final buzzer in a 104-95 win for the reigning champions, the frustrations for both teams finally boiled over — with Jeremiah Fears getting into a heated exchange with Lu Dort.

The two got into each other’s faces and they had to be separated by the entire benches, with the fracas nearly devolving into a full-blown brawl. The Pelicans have clearly taken exception to the physicality the Thunder had been playing with all night long, and Fears, the rookie, showed that he wasn’t afraid, confronting the physically-imposing Dort who has a few inches and pounds on him.

Footage via Michael Martin, beat reporter for the Thunder.

We have another mixup this time between Lu Dort and Jeremiah Fears as both teams once again have to be separated after the final buzzer went off and the clock expired.

The Thunder win a chippy one 104-95 vs the Pelicans. pic.twitter.com/eG6vFSiE9v

— Michael Martin (@MichaelOnSports) January 28, 2026

They had to push Fears off the court

He got into it with Dort there at the end.

Joe Dumars had to get on the court to get him off

Not seen this before pic.twitter.com/y2VuD9LN9E

— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrewKSchlecht) January 28, 2026

The Pelicans showed that they had no fear going up against a Thunder team that beats opponents into submission with their suffocating defense. Zion Williamson, in particular, was setting the tone for the Pelicans on the physical side of the ball, but this OKC squad didn’t get to where they are by being pushovers.

The good news from all this is that no one was seriously hurt, and the tensions between the two teams subsided in what otherwise could have been an uglier scene.

Thunder’s defensive identity in full display in win vs. Pelicans

The Thunder are difficult to face in that they can match up well against any team in the NBA. No team can bully them anymore, and the Pelicans certainly learned that firsthand on Tuesday.

It can be very irritating to face an opponent that is always in your jersey and never relents an inch, which may be why frustrations were getting the better of the Pelicans come the end of the game. Nonetheless, this is just the effect the Thunder can have on their opponents.

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