Thunder Beat Pelicans 104-95: A Convincing Home Victory
Jan 28, 2026
Nicolas Flamecourt
NBA: Jeremiah Fears and Luguentz Dort Fined After Altercation
The NBA fines both players $25,000 following the incident during Tuesday night's game between the Pelicans and the Thunder.
Jan 27, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward Chet Holmgren (7) pulls Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) away from a scuffle with New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Photo Credit : © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The NBA announced Thursday that Jeremiah Fears (New Orleans Pelicans) and Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder) have each been fined $25,000 for their roles in the altercation that marked the end of Tuesday night’s game. The incident occurred in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, with the Thunder already leading by nine points.
Lu Dort and Jeremiah Fears got into it on the final play of the game 😳 pic.twitter.com/pd57nEKb5f
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 28, 2026
The Incident That Escalated at Game’s End
It all started when Luguentz Dort fouled Jeremiah Fears as the Pelicans rookie attempted a layup in the final seconds of the game. Despite the victory already secured for Oklahoma City, Dort then pushed Fears in the chest, triggering a series of scuffles between the two players.
The escalation required intervention from players and staff from both teams to separate them. The tension was so palpable that Jeremiah Fears, only 19 years old and selected in the first round of last June’s draft, had to be restrained by Pelicans security in the Paycom Center hallways after the game.
Thunder Coach’s Criticism
Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City‘s coach, didn’t mince words regarding the officiating at the end of the game. « They’re good guys, a good officiating crew. But I think they lost control of the game in the final minutes. I think that altercation at the end started well before with the situation between (Saddiq Bey) and (Jaylin Williams). I think they could have handled that more cleanly, » the coach stated.
Daigneault also pointed out an uncalled foul: « And then the second thing is, I think it’s a foul by Dort. And if it was, they should have called that play regardless of the score and time remaining. If they do that, everyone stops playing and you can manage the situation as you normally would. »
Stats 2025-2026 / NBA
PTS
8.7
#215
REB
3.9
#191
AST
1.2
#303
Dort scored 12 points in this victory that allowed the Thunder to end a two-game losing streak and improve their record to 38 wins and 10 losses. For his part, Fears contributed 7 points off the bench for New Orleans, which has a disappointing record of 12 wins and 37 losses this season.
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