Lou Dort, Jeremiah Fears get into a heated exchange after the win over the Pelicans

On Tuesday night things were becomes a chippy between the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicansespecially late in the competition. Sadiq Bey and Jaylin Williams entered the game pushed with the game ending in the Thunder’s favor, and after the final buzzer in the defending champions’ 104-95 victory, frustrations for both teams finally boiled over — with Jeremy Fiers getting into a heated exchange with Lou Dort.

The two faced each other and had to be separated by whole benches, and the argument almost turned into a full-on brawl. The Pelicans clearly took exception to the physicality the Thunder played with all night, and Fears, a rookie, showed it he was not afraidfacing the physically imposing Dort who has several inches and pounds on him.

Video via Michael Martin, beat reporter for the Thunder.

This time we have another mixup between Lou Dort and Jeremiah Fears as both teams have to be separated again after the final buzzer sounds and the clock runs out.

The Thunder won 104-95 against the Pelicans. pic.twitter.com/eG6vFSiE9v

— Michael Martin (@MichaelOnSports) January 28, 2026

They had to run Fears off the field

He got into it with Dort there at the end.

Joe Dumars had to go on the field to take it off

I haven’t seen this before pic.twitter.com/i2VuD9LN9E

— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrevKSchlecht) January 28, 2026

The Pelicans have shown that they are not afraid to face a Thunder team that beats opponents into submission with their suffocating defense. Zion Williamson in particular set the tone for the Pelicans on the physical side of the ball, but this OKC team didn’t get where it was by pushing the ball.

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

The Thunder’s defensive identity was on full display in the win against the Pelicans

The Thunder are tough to face because they can match up well with 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 the opponent it’s always in your jersey and never gives an inch, which may be why frustrations got the better of the Pelicans late in the game. However, this is only the effect Thunder can have on its opponents.