OKLAHOMA CITY — Once in a blue moon, Nikola Jokic likes to remind people he is a 7-foot, 285-pound Serbian man. He decided that Lu Dort needed a reminder Friday during the fourth quarter of a white-knuckle thriller between the Nuggets and Thunder. Jokic confronted Dort after getting tripped in the backcourt, leading to a heated shoving match that riled up an already amped Oklahoma City crowd. Dort was ejected for a flagrant two on the foul that provoked Jokic, while Jokic and Thunder center Jaylin Williams received matching technicals for the ensuing fight. Jokic’s touches were met with boos the rest of the game, a 127-121 overtime loss to the Thunder at Paycom Center. He’ll probably be greeted with boos in Oklahoma City if and when the Nuggets are back for a playoff series this spring. He muscled the game into overtime on a night when everything was working for him except his jump shot. He tied it on a tough bucket with 37 seconds left. Denver generated two clutch stops against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the last 30 seconds of regulation, with Christian Braun blocking a step-back shot on the first possession, then forcing the ball out of SGA’s hands before the buzzer. But the Nuggets desperately needed one of those jumpers to fall. Jokic couldn’t buy one. He hasn’t been able to for several games while irritated by his shooting wrist. Cam Johnson also missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner with 10 seconds left in regulation. Denver scored only 14 points in overtime. Jokic finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists. In nine minutes of game time without him, the Nuggets were outscored by 21. Gilgeous-Alexander returned from an abdominal injury with 36 points, but Oklahoma City pulled him from the game after regulation. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said before opening tip that Gilgeous-Alexander’s minutes weren’t hard-capped at any number. Back for the first time since Game 7 last May, the Nuggets brought the fight to Oklahoma. Specifically, Jokic did. He and his teammates have been saying they want to emulate the Thunder’s boundary-pushing physicality since training camp. This was as close as they’ve been to achieving that goal. On an early OKC possession, Jokic shoved Isaiah Hartenstein while the former Nuggets backup center screened for Gilgeous-Alexander. As a late foul was called, Jokic kept defending Gilgeous-Alexander physically on the other side of the screen. Gilgeous-Alexander took exception, tossing the ball at Jokic and picking up a technical foul. The contact by Jokic to Gilgeous-Alexander after the play was reviewed and deemed only marginal. Jokic seemed to applauded for himself after he picked up his second foul with a few minutes left in the first quarter. He stayed in the game and had to be separated from OKC’s Jaylin Williams before the ensuing inbound, as they tried to wrestle for the same real estate around the elbow. In another sequence, Jokic got tangled up with Dort and Aaron Wiggins in the backcourt while the ball was racing to the other end of the floor. The first half was defined by the stretches when one MVP candidate was off the court. Gilgeous-Alexander subbed out for the first time with Denver ahead 12-11. Jokic smelled blood. The Nuggets immediately went on a 15-2 run and forced Mark Daigneault to get SGA back in the game. Jokic took his usual break at the start of the second quarter, and a 14-point lead dwindled to two by the time he returned. Nuggets coach David Adelman started that stint as he often has recently, with Cam Johnson staggering next to the bench. Gilgeous-Alexander pounced this time. The Thunder went on a quick 9-2 run, and Adelman used a timeout to get Jamal Murray on the floor for the rest of the non-Jokic minutes. No offense ever looks pristine against Oklahoma City, but Tim Hardaway Jr. buoyed the Nuggets with tough-shot making throughout the night. He also picked up a technical foul from the bench early in the second half after Jokic thought he got fouled twice on an empty possession. Daigneault tried to get Gilgeous-Alexander a short breather in the third, but the Nuggets immediately scored five straight points. Related Articles Nuggets eye forward depth for final roster spot in limited NBA buyout market | Notebook Renck: For Nuggets coach David Adelman, next six weeks will tell us a lot Nuggets get a morale boost from season-best defensive effort: ‘When we play like that, we’re the best in the league’ The Nuggets are somehow worse in clutch time with Nikola Jokic back. David Adelman has some theories. Nuggets injury update: Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson inch closer as Denver nears full strength They clinging to an 83-77 lead as the fourth quarter — and another non-Jokic stint — began. Johnson threw away the inbound pass to start the quarter, and Oklahoma City cashed in with an open 3-pointer to cut the lead in half. It wasn’t an ideal beginning to survival mode. Adelman isn’t one to take rage timeouts like Michael Malone did, but he called for a reset 24 seconds into the quarter. He called for another two minutes later. Dort briefly took over the game with neither superstar present, drawing an illegal screen, draining a go-ahead three and driving for a midrange jumper over Jonas Valanciunas. Adelman has been careful this season not to rush Jokic back into games just because the score demands it. This time, Jokic was back on the floor at the 9:30 mark of the fourth. ...read more read less