There's playing hard-nosed defense, and then there's playing dirty. Lu Dort is starting to blur that line in ways the NBA can't ignore.

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard was ejected Friday night for a flagrant 2 foul after tripping Nikola Jokic, and Nuggets coach David Adelman didn't mince words: "That was malicious." And you know what? He's absolutely right.

Let me be clear: I love tough defense. I grew up watching players who would put their body on the line, who'd make opposing scorers earn every single point. That's basketball. That's competition. But what Dort is doing? That's not defense - that's putting guys' careers at risk.

The incident with Jokic was blatant. Dort stuck his leg out to trip the reigning MVP - a player who recently came back from a hyperextended knee, mind you. That's not basketball. That's a cheap shot, plain and simple. The refs reviewed it, upgraded it to a flagrant 2, and sent him packing. The right call.

But here's what makes this a bigger story: this isn't an isolated incident. Dort has a history of these "little leg" plays. Last month, he got into it with Jeremiah Fears of the Pelicans. Before that, he clipped Victor Wembanyama's leg during a Christmas Day game - no penalty on that one. There's a pattern here, and it's the kind of pattern that gets guys hurt.

Dort is developing a Draymond Green-like reputation: stellar defensive contributions pockmarked with dumb and dangerous leg maneuvers. That's not company you want to keep. Green's dirty plays have cost him millions in fines and suspensions, not to mention his reputation around the league.

What really got me fired up was Thunder coach Mark Daigneault's response. Instead of saying "Yeah, that was over the line, we'll coach him up," he went with the classic whataboutism: "If that's a flagrant 2, then we expect that call every time someone trips our guys."

Come on, coach. You're the defending champions. You're first in the Western Conference. You don't need to play the victim card when your player gets caught doing something obviously dangerous. Just own it, coach him up, and move on.

The good news? Dort is going to get increased attention from officials going forward. You can bet opposing coaches will be in refs' ears about this. His reputation will precede him now, and that's on him.

The Nuggets and Thunder play again on March 9th in Oklahoma City. You know that game is going to be spicy. Jokic isn't the type to forget. His teammates aren't going to forget. And if Dort tries any more of his leg tricks, he better be ready for the consequences.

Play hard. Play physical. But play clean. That's what sports is all about, folks.