Daniel Gafford certainly wasn’t having an easy day in Oklahoma. The Dallas Mavericks faced the OKC Thunder during Thursday night’s Rivals Week challenge. The Texas side, already short-handed without Dereck Lively II, almost lost their dominant center. Within a matter of two quarters, Gafford came under the spotlight for two dramatic events. While on one occasion he got away with an injury scare, on the other, the OKC side suffered an ejection.

Firstly, during the second quarter, the big man had a nasty fall to the floor. Dealing with immense pain, the 26-year-old was on the floor for an extended period until the medical staff approached him and he left for the locker room. While everyone expected him not to return for the rest of the game, he returned at the start of the third quarter.

Daniel Gafford continued his service in the third quarter. Six minutes in, he again fell in trouble when he set a screen for Kyrie Irving near the arc. Thunder’s Lu Dort, who was chasing Kai, tapped Gafford’s groin region, leaving him in pain once again. The refs immediately blew the whistle and took it under review. After closely looking at the replays, the refs ejected Lu Dort with a flagrant foul two on account of Unnecessary and excessive contact and offered three free throws.

The OKC’s star defender exited the court without any fuss, but the fans online didn’t let the incident slide away easily. Here are some reactions from fans.

NBA world rips apart Lu Dort following the ugly act

Once in a while, the NBA world comes across aggressive defenders who rule the court with their physicality. One such example from the past is Dennis Rodman. The 5x NBA Champ provided exclusive rim protection and rebounding duty for the Bulls. More importantly, he often sets the mood for the rest of the team. Lu Dort is also one such player for the Thunder. However, these types of players also often get labeled as ‘dirty’ for their aggression.

Tonight, after the ugly act, Lu Dort got a promotion. A fan, describing the play, wrote, “Lu Dort is the dirtiest player in the league.” Well, even though it’s a dirty act to hit a player in the groin region, it’s quite unfair to throw labels around a player. Another fan, in response to the label, wrote, “*2nd dirtiest,” sharing the gif of the infamous Draymond Green incident.

It was an act that fetched Green an indefinite suspension last season. In the game against the Phoenix Suns, the league suspended the Dubs forward for swinging his hand at Jusuf Nurkic and it ultimately turned into a controversial event, forcing him to get therapy. Moreover, on the other hand, another fan didn’t hesitate to further solidify the ‘dirtiest player’ label, as they wrote, “All around dirty, no place for this. He always does it. Just got caught more this game.” 

In fact, this isn’t the first time when Dort was called dirt for his playing style. Early this season, Green and Dort got entangled in a physical tussle, giving us a sight of two strong-headed players going after each other. Above all, there’s an instance from the 2024 playoff where Dort did a similar ugly act to Mavs’ Dereck Lively. So, it’s up to the fans to judge.

On the other hand, a lone fan defended Lu Dort, writing, “He is just fighting through the scream bro chill.” Well, there’s an equal possibility for Dort to throw his hands in the heat of the moment and not intentionally. Anyway, what do you think? Let us know in the comments.