Category: Highlights

It took just 13 games for Lu Dort to pass his 3-point total of last season

OKC Thunder wing Lu Dort has been a great shooter from 3 through 13 games, already surpassing his total of made 3s from his rookie year.

As a rookie, Oklahoma City Thunder wing Lu Dort made 30 of his 101 3-point attempts, a clip of 29.7%.

It took him 13 games this season to pass his total number of 3s made as a rookie.

In Tuesday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, Dort hit a trio of 3-pointers to move to 31 on the season. He has done this on just 71 attempts, good for 43.7% from deep.

It’s been remarkable growth for the second-year player.

Here are some clips from his game against the Nuggets, a 20-point outing in which he led the Thunder in scoring and played strong defense against Denver guard Jamal Murray.

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This season, Dort is averaging 13.4 points per game, more than double his average last season. He’s shooting 4.6-for-9.5 from the field (48.4%) and 2.4-for-5.5 from 3 (43.7%) as he’s helped the Thunder start the season at 6-7.

Those increases offensively go back to his 3-point shooting. It took him 36 games to hit 30 3s last year and 13 to reach that number this year. That’s allowed him to create driving lanes and get to the basket, which he has also shown the ability to do at the pros and something he did at Arizona State University in college.

We’ve reached the point where Dort is a positive on the offensive end as well as the defensive.

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Thunder vs. Nuggets game highlights, stats from OKC’s 119-101 loss

See highlights from Nikola Jokic’s 27-point performance and Lu Dort’s 20-point game in the OKC Thunder loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder got blown out by the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, losing 119-101 to Nikola Jokic and company on the first of a five-game road trip.

Jokic scored a game-high 27 points and had 12 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive glass, and added six assists.

Lu Dort led the Thunder with 20 points. He also played very good defense on Jamal Murray, limiting the Nuggets’ guard to five points on 2-for-10 shooting.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting to go with five rebounds and seven assists.

See game highlights and stats below.

Coverage: Dort stars but blowouts racking up • Photo gallery

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OKC Thunder (6-7)

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Isaiah Roby 26 10 9 (6) 3 4/0 3-9 1-3 3-3
Darius Bazley 24 12 2 (1) 0 0/2 5-11 2-7 0-0
Lu Dort 25 20 5 3 1/0 8-11 3-6 1-2
George Hill 22 6 0 2 0/0 2-5 2-3 0-0
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 27 14 5 7 0/1 5-11 1-4 3-6
Aleksej Pokusevski 24 0 4 2 1/1 0-7 0-5 0-0
Darius Miller 7 0 1 1 0/0 0-2 0-2 0-0
Justin Jackson 7 9 2 0 1/0 3-3 2-2 1-2
Josh Hall 13 6 2 1 0/0 2-5 0-2 2-3
Mike Muscala 14 3 0 0 0/0 1-3 1-3 0-0
Moses Brown 6 4 2 0 0/0 2-2 0-0 2-2
Theo Maledon 21 4 3 3 1/0 3-7 1-4 0-0
Kenrich Williams 6 0 0 0 0/0 0-2 0-0 0-0
Hamidou Diallo 19 16 6 (2) 0 0/0 2-8 1-2 3-5

Denver Nuggets (7-7)

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Paul Millsap 26 13 12 (4) 3 2/1 5-10 2-5 1-2
Will Barton 25 13 3 6 1/0 5-7 3-4 0-0
Nikola Jokic 28 27 12 (5) 6 1/1 12-21 0-4 3-3
Jamal Murray 21 5 2 4 2/0 2-10 0-3 1-1
Gary Harris 26 11 3 (2) 3 1/0 4-9 3-6 0-0
JaMychal Green 17 10 8 (4) 1 0/1 4-12 2-5 0-0
Zeke Nnaji 5 0 0 0 0/0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Vlatko Cancar 4 0 2 0 1/0 0-1 0-1 0-0
Isaiah Hartenstein 13 5 7 (1) 0 1/0 1-2 0-0 3-3
Bol Bol 7 2 1 0 0/0 1-3 0-0 0-0
Facundo Campazzo 18 3 0 1 1/0 1-6 1-3 0-0
Monte Morris 21 15 4 (1) 5 0/0 7-11 1-4 0-0
Markus Howard 4 2 0 0 0/0 1-4 0-2 0-0
R.J. Hampton 7 2 2 0 0/0 0-2 0-0 2-2
PJ Dozier 19 11 2 (1) 0 1/0 3-7 2-5 3-3

 

Highlights: Lu Dort’s performance vs. Bulls was no surprise to SGA, Thunder

See highlights of OKC Thunder guard Lu Dort, who helped Oklahoma City in the comeback win over the Chicago Bulls.

Lu Dort had one of his best games as a pro on Friday, helping the Oklahoma City Thunder on both ends of the court in a 127-125 comeback victory over the Chicago Bulls in overtime.

Dort finished with 21 points, the fourth-most he has had in an NBA game, regular season or playoffs. He made four 3s, something he had only done four times entering the night, and had eight rebounds, a number he had matched thrice.

Most impressive was his career-high six steals.

I mean, look at him coming out of nowhere for this. How did Dort react quicker than Zach LaVine, the person who lost the ball in the first place?

For guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, this performance wasn’t a surprise.

“That’s what I expect, and I think I can speak for the rest of the guys, that’s what we all expect from Lu every night. He brings it every night.” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

“It makes him the player who he is. So it doesn’t come as no surprise to me or any of us. He does and makes winning plays all the time.”

It wasn’t just on defense. At one point in the third quarter, Dort scored 10 Thunder points in a row.

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“Lu was outstanding. He made huge plays defensively down the stretch – he took the charge on LaVine, and then he had the loose ball, which was a huge play also,” Daigneault said.

It was those types of plays from Dort and Kenrich Williams that put Oklahoma City back in the contest.

“We gave ourselves a chance. There’s no guarantee you’re going to win when you continue to compete, but if you continue to compete, you give yourself a chance,” Daigneault said.

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Thunder vs. Bulls game highlights, stats from OKC’s 127-125 win

See the game highlights and stats from the OKC Thunder’s comeback win over the Chicago Bulls.

The Oklahoma City Thunder mounted a massive comeback against the Chicago Bulls, outscoring former OKC head coach Billy Donovan’s team by 16 points over the final 4:40 of the fourth quarter to force overtime and eventually get the 127-125 victory.

Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 33 points, a career-high, and had 10 assists to go with five rebounds. Wing Lu Dort had 21 points, eight rebounds and six steals, and forward Kenrich Williams contributed 14 points in 27 minutes off the bench while seeing the court in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine had 35 points and guard Coby White had 22.

See the box score and game highlights below:

Game coverage: Thunder get comeback win • Gilgeous-Alexander’s career-best • Hill’s halftime speech • Chris Paul’s reaction

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OKC Thunder (6-6)

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Darius Bazley 28 9 5 2 2/0 3-12 1-3 2-3
Lu Dort 40 21 8 (1) 0 6/1 7-8 4-11 3-4
Isaiah Roby 26 14 4 3 0/0 6-15 1-3 1-2
George Hill 33 8 2 (1) 3 0/0 3-11 0-5 2-4
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 44 33 5 10 1/0 13-19 3-5 4-4
Aleksej Pokusevski 12 5 3 (1) 1 0/0 2-7 1-4 0-0
Mike Muscala 27 11 6 (2) 0 0/1 3-9 2-7 3-3
Theo Maledon 15 10 3 2 0/0 4-8 2-5 0-0
Kenrich Williams 27 14 5 (1) 2 2/0 6-6 1-1 1-2
Hamidou Diallo 14 2 3 (1) 3 1/0 1-6 0-1 0-2

Chicago Bulls (4-8)

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Lauri Markkanen 35 16 6 (1) 0 1/2 5-14 3-9 3-3
Patrick Williams 36 14 7 (2) 2 0/2 5-7 2-3 2-2
Wendell Carter Jr. 33 16 11 (4) 2 0/3 6-9 0-0 4-5
Coby White 44 22 9 (1) 7 0/0 8-20 4-9 2-2
Zach LaVine 43 35 7 (1) 6 1/0 11-19 8-14 5-9
Thaddeus Young 13 2 1 4 1/0 1-4 0-1 0-2
Otto Porter Jr. 25 8 8 1 0/1 3-7 2-4 0-0
Garrett Temple 20 8 3 2 0/0 2-4 2-3 2-2
Denzel Valentine 15 4 4 3 2/0 2-7 0-3 0-0

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Thunder vs. Lakers game highlights, stats from OKC’s 128-99 loss

The Los Angeles Lakers took down the OKC Thunder 128-99. See the highlight video and box score from the game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were unable to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers, falling 128-99 in their least competitive game of the season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17, the highest point total among all Thunder players. Isaiah Roby, starting in place of Al Horford, had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Aleksej Pokusevski had a season-high 10.

The Lakers were led by LeBron James’ 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Anthony Davis had 18 points in 25 minutes and Montrezl Harrell scored 21 off the bench in 25 minutes of play.

See the box score and game highlights below:

Game coverage: Thunder lacked age, size • Poku’s big night • Bazley injured

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OKC Thunder (5-6)

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Darius Bazley 25 3 5 (1) 0 1/0 1-5 3-6 0-0
Lu Dort 25 9 1 0 0/0 3-8 3-6 0-0
Isaiah Roby 24 11 9 (2) 1 0/0 4-7 0-0 3-4
George Hill 22 10 2 2 2/0 4-8 0-1 2-2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 27 17 2 1 0/0 5-12 1-3 6-7
Aleksej Pokusevski 21 10 4 (1) 2 0/3 4-9 2-4 0-0
Justin Jackson 5 1 0 0 0/0 0-2 0-2 1-2
Josh Hall 7 0 0 2 0/0 0-3 0-1 0-0
Mike Muscala 18 7 4 (1) 1 0/0 3-9 1-6 0-0
Moses Brown 6 6 3 (1) 1 0/1 2-3 0-0 2-2
Theo Maledon 26 7 2 (2) 4 0/0 3-9 1-2 0-0
Kenrich Williams 15 9 5 (1) 4 1/1 4-5 1-2 0-0
Hamidou Diallo 20 9 5 1 0/1 4-6 1-1 0-0

Los Angeles Lakers (10-3)

 

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Anthony Davis 25 18 7 (3) 1 0/0 8-13 0-1 2-2
LeBron James 27 26 6 7 0/0 9-20 5-8 3-4
Marc Gasol 23 3 5 (1) 1 2/4 1-2 1-1 0-0
Dennis Schroder 32 14 5 (1) 5 1/0 4-12 1-3 5-6
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 20 10 3 1 1/0 4-6 2-4 0-0
Marcus Morris 23 12 7 2 0/0 4-9 3-8 0-0
Alfonzo McKinnie 5 4 1 (1) 0 0/0 2-3 1-1 0-0
Kyle Kuzma 18 17 6 (3) 2 1/1 3-8 1-4 0-0
Montrezl Harrell 25 2 6 (2) 0 0/1 8-12 0-1 5-8
Quinn Cook 6 2 1 1 1/0 1-3 1-1 0-0
Alex Caruso 22 2 1 2 0/0 2-2 2-2 0-0
Talon Horton-Tucker 13 2 2 (1) 4 0/0 1-5 0-3 2-2

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Thunder vs. Spurs game highlights, stats from OKC’s 112-102 loss

See highlights of the OKC Thunder game against the San Antonio Spurs. Lonnie Walker IV led scoring with 24 points while SGA had 20.

The Oklahoma City Thunder saw their three-game win streak come to a close against the San Antonio Spurs in a 112-102 defeat.

Six Thunder players scored at least 10 points. All five starters crossed that threshold, led by guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 20, and off the bench, guard Hamidou Diallo continued his strong play with 16 points.

The Spurs also had six players who scored double-digits. Guard Lonnie Walker IV had a game-high 24 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge had 13 points to go with 10 rebounds and six assists. They overcame the absence of DeMar DeRozan to beat the Thunder.

See game highlights and stats below.

Coverage: Win streak ends • George Hill has protocol concerns • By the numbers

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OKC Thunder (5-5)

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Darius Bazley 33 12 6 (1) 2 0/1 4-14 2-7 2-2
Lu Dort 27 12 6 (1) 0 1/0 4-11 1-2 1-2
Al Horford 29 10 7 3 0/0 5-13 0-4 0-0
George Hill 28 12 6 5 0/0 3-4 0-1 6-6
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 33 20 9 (2) 2 0/0 7-10 0-0 6-9
Isaiah Roby 14 4 6 (2) 1 0/1 1-3 0-0 2-2
Aleksej Pokusevski 16 4 5 (1) 1 0/2 2-6 0-1 0-0
Darius Miller 0 0 0 0 0/0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Justin Jackson 4 5 0 0 2/0 2-4 1-2 0-0
Mike Muscala 17 3 2 (1) 1 0/0 1-4 1-3 0-0
Theo Maledon 15 4 3 1 0/0 2-5 0-2 0-2
Kenrich Williams 3 0 3 0 0/1 0-0 0-0 0-0
Hamidou Diallo 21 16 3 2 0/0 5-9 0-0 6-6

San Antonio Spurs (6-5)

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Trey Lyles 18 6 4 0 0/0 2-6 1-3 1-2
Keldon Johnson 39 18 7 (2) 1 2/0 6-11 0-2 6-7
LaMarcus Aldridge 32 13 10 (2) 6 1/2 6-16 1-4 0-0
Dejounte Murray 31 16 5 7 0/0 6-13 0-1 4-4
Lonnie Walker 36 24 3 (1) 2 0/1 7-15 3-7 7-7
Rudy Gay 21 12 6 2 3/0 5-11 2-6 0-0
Jakob Poeltl 16 4 3 (1) 1 1/2 2-3 0-0 0-0
Patty Milles 25 17 1 5 0/0 7-15 3-10 0-0
Devin Vassell 22 2 7 (2) 2 1/0 0-5 0-2 2-2

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Video highlights: Diallo, Gilgeous-Alexander combine for 48 points in win over Knicks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Hamidou Diallo led the OKC Thunder over the New York Knicks on Friday. See the highlights:

In a game against the New York Knicks that started slow offensively, two Oklahoma City Thunder guards broke out for strong performances on that end of the court in the 101-89 victory.

Thunder fans are growing accustomed to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander putting up big numbers. He had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds after he started taking shots at the rim more aggressively in the second half. He picked up 12 of his points in the third quarter on 6-for-7 shooting.

“He’s carrying a heavier load than he’s ever carried,” head coach Mark Daigneault said. “There’s a smoothing process, I think, for that, in terms of when to be aggressive, when to facilitate, when to organize. And I thought tonight he just had an unbelievable balance.”

Here are Gilgeous-Alexander’s full highlights:

Game highlights: Video recap, box score

Hamidou Diallo had the best performance of his career in his return to his home state in the Madison Square Garden. He had 23 points and 11 boards, and he and Gilgeous-Alexander capped it off with an alley-oop.

“It’s something that I bring to the table,” he said of his energy. “Every given night, I gotta be the most competitive person on the floor and that’s a goal of mine.”

Here are Diallo’s highlights:

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Thunder vs. Knicks game highlights and stats from OKC’s 101-89 win

See OKC Thunder and NY Knicks highlights and stats.

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up the 101-89 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. Watch the highlights above and see the stats below.

OKC Thunder (4-4)

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Darius Bazley 23 4 7 (1) 0 0/1 2-9 0-3 0-0
Lu Dort 29 5 8 (2) 1 0/1 2-9 1-6 0-0
Al Horford 29 15 8 (1) 0 1/0 6-15 3-7 0-2
George Hill 28 4 2 (1) 3 0/1 1-4 0-2 2-2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 34 25 10 (4) 7 0/1 9-14 3-3 4-6
Isaiah Roby 4 4 0 (1) 0 0/0 1-1 0-0 2-2
Aleksej Pokusevski 19 7 6 0 0/1 3-5 1-3 0-0
Mike Muscala 15 5 4 0 0/1 2-6 1-4 0-1
Theo Maledon 22 4 5 3 0/0 2-8 0-3 0-0
Kenrich Williams 6 5 1 0 0/0 2-3 1-1 0-0
Hamidou Diallo 29 23 11 (1) 2 0/1 8-13 1-2 6-8

Game coverage: 3 takeaways • Diallo’s big homecoming • Muscala injury

NY Knicks (5-4)

Player MIN PTS REB (Off.) AST ST/BL FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM
Julius Randle 31 18 12 7 1/0 8-15 1-1 1-3
Reggie Bullock 24 6 7 0 1/0 3-8 0-2 0-0
Mitchell Robinson 27 6 6 (3) 1 2/3 3-4 0-0 0-2
Elfrid Payton 31 16 6 (2) 1 0/0 4-16 1-4 7-8
RJ Barrett 44 19 7 (4) 2 1/1 7-21 1-5 4-7
Kevin Knox II 22 9 4 0 1/0 3-9 3-5 0-0
Nerlens Noel 11 0 1 (1) 0 1/2 0-1 0-0 0-0
Austin Rivers 32 12 5 6 0/0 5-12 2-7 0-1
Immanuel Quickly 17 3 1 2 1/1 1-9 1-3 0-0

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Highlights: Darius Bazley scored the first 11 points of 3rd quarter in Thunder’s win

Highlights: OKC Thunder forward Darius Bazley scored the first 11 points of the third quarter to put Oklahoma City over the Pelicans.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 111-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday could not have happened without the third-quarter outburst from Darius Bazley. The second-year forward scored the first 11 points of the quarter and 15 of the Thunder’s first 18 as he pushed Oklahoma City ahead 72-61 almost single-handedly.

“That was a huge spark for us in the third quarter. He came out, he was aggressive, hit a couple 3s, pushed it in transition,” Thunder big Mike Muscala said. “He’s such a skilled player, and so athletic, hard to guard. It was fun to see that for him.”

Bazley finished the night with 20 points and 12 rebounds while defending Zion Williamson much of the night.

Here are the highlights from Bazley’s third quarter:

“He’s done that recently, where he’s gone on these little flurries and gotten into a nice rhythm,” head coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s learning how to become a consistent player.”

As Daigneault referenced, this wasn’t the first time Bazley has gone on a run by himself. He scored eight straight points in the third quarter against the Miami Heat on Monday, a run that helped the Thunder cut the deficit to four before they eventually fell apart.

“We always talk about in the locker room, the first five minutes is important,” Bazley said. “It kind of sets the tone going into the second half of the game.”

While the Pelicans did catch back up, these baskets proved vital for the final outcome of the Thunder’s third victory of the season.

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WATCH: Ohio State CB Shaun Wade grabs pick-6 vs. Indiana

Watch Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade get the first pick-six of his collegiate career

After going down 35-7 against Ohio State on Saturday, Indiana had scored back-to-back touchdowns and were hoping to turn a missed field goal by the Buckeyes into a one-score deficit.

Instead, Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade snatched an out route and raced to the end zone, giving the Buckeyes a 42-21 lead.

One of the top corner prospects in the 2021 NFL draft class, Wade’s first career pick-six isn’t likely to be his last. He should be one of the first players selected at his position in next year’s draft, and it’s because of big plays like this one.

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