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[Saba Sports News] Luguentz Dort channeled his inner Draymond Green on Thursday night with a controversial play.
The Oklahoma City Thunder swingman was ejected during the third quarter of their game against the Dallas Mavericks for a low blow. While defending Mavs star Kyrie Irving, Dort tried to navigate around a screen set by Daniel Gafford but ended up striking Gafford directly in the groin with his palm.
After a review, officials deemed the play a flagrant 2 foul, resulting in Dort’s automatic ejection. The Thunder, who had led for much of the first half, were trailing 74-68 at the time of the incident, suggesting Dort’s frustration may have boiled over.
This wasn’t Dort’s only questionable moment of the game, as he had already made another debatable play off a Gafford screen earlier in the first quarter.
The animosity between these two teams seems to be building. Dallas eliminated Oklahoma City in a heated six-game playoff series last season, and Dort’s nut shot on Gafford won’t do much to mend fences. The rivalry between the Thunder and the Mavericks might just be heating up.