Jazz G Donovan Mitchell: Luguentz Dort is a ‘hell of a defender’

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell broke out late, but OKC Thunder guard Lu Dort held him in check most of the game.

Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell made the game-winning shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, but he had praise for the man who guarded him on that possession and for most of the game, Lu Dort.

Mitchell struggled to get going, missing his first six shots and going scoreless over the first 19 minutes of the game. He only had eight points entering the fourth quarter.

He finally went off, finishing with 20 points, but only shot 8-for-23 from the field and 2-for-10 from 3.

“Give him his credit, man,” Mitchell said, according to KSL Sports. “He’s a hell of a defender.”

He went on to say that late in the game, he figured out different ways he could find his shot, including backdoor cuts and using more screens, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones.

Head coach Quinn Snyder also complimented Dort’s defense, according to KSL Sports.

“Lu Dort is one of the best on-ball defenders in the league,” Snyder said. “We saw that last year in the playoffs.”

It wasn’t just Dort’s defense that was on — he scored 26 points, a regular-season career-high. He shot 9-for-11 from the field and made five of his seven 3-pointers.

It was an all-around superb game for the second-year player.

Social media had reactions throughout the game.

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