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Tempers flared during two recent NBA games, and both contests were marred by tense clashes between players.
Tuesday’s Suns-Nets game featured five technical fouls when New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears and Thunder veteran Lu Dort were separated in the second half. A push from Dort appeared to spark a scuffle that cleared the benches late in the Thunder’s 104-95 victory.
Officials did not call a foul after Dort made contact with Fears during a layup attempt. Players and coaches from both teams quickly joined the fight to try to separate Dort and Fears.
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New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the second quarter at the Paycom Center on January 27, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images)
After the match, Fears took to social media, where he called Dort “soft.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault blamed the officials, arguing they failed to keep control of the situation before it escalated.
“Good guys, good team, but I thought they lost control of the game in the last minutes,” Daigneault told reporters during his post-match press conference. “I thought the altercation at the end had started way before with the [Saddiq Bey and Jaylin Williams] situation. I thought they could have handled this cleaner.”
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Daigneault also expressed his belief that Dort should have been cautioned for a foul during the game, arguing that the score should not affect the referees’ whistle.
“The second thing is I think it’s a foul by Dort. And if it was, they should whistle that play regardless of the score and the time, because if they do, everyone stops playing, and you can legislate the situation like you normally would. But since they didn’t blow the whistle, it’s the end of the game. There’s nothing they can do about it, and you’re left with this situation.”
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) walks away from a scuffle with New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) during the second half at the Paycom Center on January 27, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images)
About an hour after the Thunder-Pelicans game ended, a separate incident broke out in the Suns-Nets game.
With less than two minutes left in the close game, Nets guard Egor Dëmin pushed Suns forward Dillon Brooks to the ground. A chaotic scene ensued, with players and coaches leaving the benches and referees assessing a total of five technical fouls. Earlier in the match, Brooks was warned for a technical foul after pushing Dëmin.
Brooks’ technical foul in the previous incident was his 15th of the season. He is one point away from triggering an automatic one-game suspension.
Egor Dëmin (8) of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during a fight between the Nets and the Phoenix Suns during the second half at the Mortgage Matchup Center on January 27, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Jérémy Chen/Getty Images)
“It’s just guys looking out for each other and fighting for each other,” Fernández said. “I thought they did a great job. You’re never going to let any of your teammates get hit or pushed or anything.
“Obviously there are limits, and we don’t want anyone to get hurt here. But you saw some dirty plays, and they didn’t say it. I think it got out of hand because of that. I like my guys to defend each other.”
