Luguentz Dort entered Wednesday with just seven 3-pointers this season.
By the end of the night, the Oklahoma City Thunder two-way rookie caught fire and drained five triples en route to a career-high 23 points in a 120-100 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Dort finished 5-of-6 from behind the arc in his sixth consecutive start, becoming just fourth rookie in franchise history to make at five 3-pointers in a game, per The Oklahoman.
Afterward, Chris Paul jokingly said to reporters that he told Dort during the game that the late Kobe Bryant likely would have been proud of him.
“I actually told Dort toward the end of the game that Kob probably would have been proud of him because he had 23 points and no assists,” Paul said. “Kob was all about being aggressive and staying aggressive.”
“Kobe wouldn’t have had it any other way.” – Chris Paul after the game. pic.twitter.com/qdJV792V6O
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 30, 2020
Dort has been primarily in the G League this season with the OKC Blue but has been with the Thunder over their last seven games. He is averaging 9.5 points and two rebounds as a starter and previously drew praise from Paul after setting a then-career-high 10 points on Saturday.
The undrafted rookie from Arizona State has played well since entering the starting lineup and is making a strong case to claim the team’s final roster spot. The Thunder can convert his two-way contract to a standard NBA deal but may wait until his 45-day service time is exhausted.
In any case, Dort is proving to be a steal as an undrafted rookie.
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