Tag: Lu Dort

Player grades: Thunder extends winning streak to four with 124-108 win over Nets

Player grades for the Thunder’s 124-108 win over the Nets.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Missing a ferocious dunk, Lu Dort sent the crowd into a different frenzy with a second-chance 3-pointer to hit the exclamation mark in OKC’s double-digit win.

On New Year’s Eve, the Oklahoma City Thunder collected a 124-108 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The win extends OKC’s winning streak to four games.

“I thought there were a couple of moments where we — I wouldn’t call it sticky — but I just thought we didn’t make the early play in transition,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought we had a lot of opportunities tonight to do that. But when we did, we got really, really good stuff.

“The game was fun when we did that. We did it enough obviously to have a really good offensive night but definitely had to course-correct a couple of things during the course of the game.”

After quickly trailing the Nets 8-0 in the opening minutes, the Thunder ended the first quarter by closing the gap and only trailing by three points. A 26-point second quarter helped OKC enter halftime with a 59-56 lead.

Coming out of the break, the Thunder continued to throw their best punch in the third quarter with a 30-point period that saw OKC enter the final frame with a double-digit lead.

The fourth quarter was much of the same story as OKC grew its lead to as high as 21 points before Brooklyn eventually waved the white flag in the later portions of the final frame.

It was another excellent offensive outing for the Thunder. They shot 54% from the field and went 18-of-33 (54.5%) from 3. They also dished out 31 assists on their 45 buckets.

“A lot of it is just creating advantages,” Daigneault said on their ball movement. “It’s hard to move the ball if you can’t move an advantage… Our guys have done a great job at working together to get those.”

All five Thunder starters scored 17-plus points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points and Josh Giddey had 20 points. Chet Holmgren collected an 18-point double-double.

Meanwhile, the Nets — who’ve lost eight of their last 10 games — shot a lowly 38% from the field and went an even worse 12-of-46 (26.1%) from 3. The jump-shooting-happy team shot 46 of their 100 attempts from outside.

“We were a little flat early and then amped it up pretty good,” Daigneault said on their defense. “A lot of switching. We downsized and were able to switch them and it stopped their drive and kick.”

Despite a significant advantage in volume, Brooklyn only went 20-of-31 (64.5%) from the free-throw line. OKC was 16-of-20 (80%) from the charity stripe.

The duo of Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas led the Nets as their sole 20-point scores. Bridges had 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting and Thomas had 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting.

The duo got off to a hot start, combining for 25 points in the first quarter. After that though, OKC did an excellent job at limiting both scorers the rest of the way with 17 total points.

As mentioned, this win also marks OKC’s 16th consecutive New Year’s Eve home game. The Thunder continues to add chapters to its Dec. 31 contests.

It was a mundane win outside of an early scare, but the Thunder continue to take care of business against the bottom of the barrel in the league. Wins continue to pile up for OKC as it enters the 2024 calendar year with a 22-9 record.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Thunder stamps statement with 129-106 win over Timberwolves

Player grades for the Thunder’s 129-106 win over the Timberwolves.

OKLAHOMA CITY — While dribbling, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander penetrated the paint and sent Rudy Gobert, the defensive player of the year favorite, flying on a pump fake for an easy underhand layup.

It was that type of night for the Oklahoma City Thunder in their 129-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The statement win saw OKC shoot 61% from the field against the best defensive-rated team in the league.

“I thought tonight we were able to kinda dictate the pace of the game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “Our intensity, our activity defensively is what allowed us to do that and allowed us to play that way.”

Playing small and with speed, the Thunder forced the large Timberwolves to play an uncomfortable brand of basketball that led to their demise. Minnesota’s stout defense bled points as OKC scored with ease.

OKC scored a season-high 40 points in the first quarter. The Thunder entered halftime with a 66-60 lead. A 36-point third quarter helped them enter the final frame with an 11-point lead. Then they limited the Timberwolves to 15 fourth-quarter points.

The Thunder shot 61% from the field and went 18-of-39 (46.2%) from 3. OKC dished a season-high 35 assists on its 49 made baskets. Against the Timberwolves’ top paint defense, OKC outscored them, 58-44, in that area.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 34 points and nine assists. He was accompanied by three 20-point scorers: Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Lu Dort.

“Just the way we moved the ball,” Dort said on their offensive outing. “We know they’re a pretty good defensive team. … Our main thing was just to move the ball and to find the best shot we could find and so we did.”

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves shot 47% from the field and went 12-of-27 (44.4%) from 3. A busy night from the free-throw line kept Minnesota in it as it shot 26-of-32 in that area.

The Timberwolves turned it over 24 times, which led to 23 points off turnovers for the Thunder. The poor ball security helped OKC attempt eight more shots than Minnesota.

Minnesota was led by Anthony Edwards, who scored 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting and went 9-of-13 from the free-throw line.

The frontcourt duo of Karl-Anthony Towns, who was a game-time decision, and Gobert were held in check. Towns had 16 points and six rebounds; Gobert had 10 points and five rebounds.

It was an impressive defensive performance by OKC, who credited sound communication for limiting Minnesota to its lowest point total in over a month.

“I thought we had great intensity of that end after the first quarter,” Daigneault said on their defense. “I thought both teams were outscoring each other in the first period of the game. As the game wore on, we really tightened on that end of the floor.”

In a matchup between teams with two of the top-three records in the Western Conference standings, the Thunder were thoroughly the better team and handed the first-placed Timberwolves a lopsided defeat.

OKC elected to zig while Minnesota zagged with its large starting lineup. The move paid dividends as the Thunder’s small-ball ran the Timberwolves off the court.

“With a team that big, you have to play fast,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You have to move the ball. You have to make them work. There’s upsides and downsides, but we used the upsides to our advantage for sure tonight.”

This was a great way to kick off a home back-to-back and the beginning of a brutal stretch of busy basketball for the next month-plus. These types of wins strengthen OKC’s resume as a contender.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Thunder cool off Clippers, snap LA’s winning streak with 134-115 win

Player grades: Thunder cool off Clippers, snap LA’s winning streak with 134-115 win.

OKLAHOMA CITY — On a play ripped straight off 2K, Chet Holmgren threw the ball off the backboard and downed it for the vicious dunk. An animated Holmgren sent the active crowd into a frenzy.

The rare self-assist play sparked a 13-0 run for the Oklahoma City Thunder on their way to a 134-115 win over the LA Clippers. It was a massive victory as both teams will likely fight it out the rest of the way in the standings.

“I thought our execution was really good tonight,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault on their win. “I thought our recognition was really good. They really changed defenses tonight and kept us on our toes. … They made it challenging on us and our guys did a great job at recognizing what they were doing.”

The Thunder picked up the critical win over the league’s hottest team, which entered with a nine-game winning streak. LA was without Kawhi Leonard, who missed his first game of the season with a hip contusion.

The final score miscasts an exciting outing that featured teams exchanging leads and matching baskets for a half. At halftime, OKC led 64-59, and the Clippers briefly took the lead in the third quarter.

However, OKC buried the Clippers with a 45-point third quarter and entered the final frame with a 109-92 lead. A little over two minutes into the fourth quarter, the Thunder created a game-high 20-point lead.

“They’re a really good team that’s playing really well,” Daigneault said. “We knew they were gonna make a run and they did so I thought we did a good job at just taking the punch and just staying true to our stuff.”

The Thunder had an extremely efficient night from the field. OKC shot 59% from the field and went 16-of-34 (47.1%) from 3. It also went 16-of-18 from the free-throw line and dished a season-high 35 assists on 51 made baskets.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points headlined the offensive outing but OKC had six players score double-digit points. Besides the flashy self-made dunk, Holmgren had an overall solid night of 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, the offense wasn’t a problem for LA either. The Clippers shot 48% from the field and went 17-of-43 (39.5%) from 3.

James Harden led LA with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. After missing the first game of their road back-to-back with an illness, Paul George returned and totaled 22 points.

“I thought we pressured them and were physical without fouling them,” Daigneault said on George and Harden. “Tried to throw different looks at them. A lot of different guys had to guard them in the game. They’re really, really good players but I thought we kept them in an area that allowed us to extend leads.”

Per usual, Russell Westbrook was delighted with a celebratory reaction from the OKC faithful. The future Hall-of-Famer checking into the game received one of the loudest reactions from a rowdy crowd. Off the bench, he had 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Overall, this was a massive win for the Thunder as they began a five-game gauntlet of tough opponents. Even though Leonard was out, the Clippers were still a formidable opponent.

Outside of just the vibes gained from picking up a massive win over the hottest team in the league, this game could pay dividends down the road if tiebreaks are necessary.

“Obviously, they’re a super talented group, a bunch of Hall-of-Famers over there,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on the win. “We knew what the task was waking up this morning and we did enough for sure.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Recap: OKC Thunder’s Tuesday practice (Dec. 19)

A quick recap of the Thunder’s Tuesday practice:

The Oklahoma City Thunder held practice on Tuesday following their blowout win over the depleted Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

The 19-point win improved OKC to 17-8 and gave it sole possession of second place in the Western Conference.

The Thunder are off for two days before they welcome in the red-hot LA Clippers, who’ve won eight consecutive games, for a game on Thursday

Following practice, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and starter Lu Dort spoke to the media. Daigneault talked about league officiating getting accustomed to Chet Holmgren’s rim protection, and Dort talked about his game outfit in OKC’s win over the Denver Nuggets.

Here’s a quick recap of the Thunder’s Tuesday practice:

Player grades: SGA’s 43 points not enough in Thunder’s 128-123 loss to Kings

Player grades for the Thunder’s 128-123 loss to the Kings:

Creating four quality looks from outside range in the final two minutes, OKC couldn’t hit a single critical 3-pointer that could’ve cut its deficit or taken the lead.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had chances late, but came up short to the Sacramento Kings, 128-123. The game marked OKC’s eighth consecutive loss to Sacramento.

“They deserved credit, they played really well, they made a lot of tough shots,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “That’s why the easy stuff and the controllable stuff is so critical. We were still able to make it a one-possession game down the stretch — even with all that on a bad shooting night for us.

“In the game flow, we’re gonna look back and see some plays that were controllable. If you can just shave some of those down, it could be the difference in the game. I thought that was the case tonight.”

In the exciting back-and-forth contest, neither team led by more than 16 points. The Thunder entered halftime with a 59-53 deficit as the non-SGA starters combined for 13 points on 17 shots.

The third quarter featured a much more energized version of both teams. A 41-39 scoring advantage by the Kings sent the Thunder into the final frame trailing, 100-92.

A 7-2 run by the Kings in the opening three minutes of the fourth quarter helped give Sacramento a 13-point lead. That deficit remained with six minutes left. After that, an OKC 13-2 run resulted in a two-point contest with three minutes on the clock.

That proved the closest the Thunder drew. A second successful coach’s challenge provided OKC two quality looks — a Chet Holmgren 3-pointer and Josh Giddey 2-pointer — that came up short.

On the next two Thunder possessions, Holmgren and Jalen Williams each missed quality looks from outside in a four-point deficit that could’ve turned the tide for OKC.

One last missed 3-pointer by Isaiah Joe  with 21 seconds left was the final death kiss for the Thunder as they simply couldn’t buy a timely bucket down the stretch.

To continue the disturbing recent trend, the Thunder struggled to generate offense at Sacramento. OKC shot 43% from the field and went 11-of-36 (30.6%) from 3. The free-throw line was the saving grace. It shot 24-of-27 (88.9%) from there.

Meanwhile, it was the complete opposite for the high-scoring Kings. They shot 50% from the field and went a sizzling 18-of-45 (40%) from 3. Sacramento dished out 32 assists on its 47 made shots.

Per usual, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was phenomenal for the Thunder. The problem was, he was the only constant for OKC. The 25-year-old scored 43 points — one off from tying his career high. Giddey also had a strong second half to finish with 18 points.

Outside of those two though, the rest of the Thunder starters combined for 36 points. OKC’s bench production was bare as nobody scored more than six points.

Meanwhile, the Kings had five players score 15-plus points. De’Aaron Fox led the way with 41 points on 14-of-25 shooting and went 5-of-11 from 3. Domantas Sabonis had 18 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.

Off the bench, the duo of Malik Monk and Keon Ellis combined for 35 points. Monk finished with 18 points and nine assists while Ellis scored 17 points and went 5-of-7 from 3.

The Thunder have been off to a great start this season and a 15-8 record is nothing to sneeze at, but it feels like the Kings own the Thunder’s number. It looks like beating Sacramento will be another hurdle OKC will have to clear soon.

“It’s really important for our development,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on their crunch time performance. “The teams that win late-game situations are the best teams in the league for sure. … You see that at the highest level with the playoffs and championships and all the things people want to get to.

“The more we experience it, the more we’ll learn from it and we’ll get better from it.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Recap: OKC Thunder’s Monday practice (Nov. 27)

Here’s a recap of what happened in the Thunder’s Monday practice:

The Oklahoma City Thunder held practice on Monday the day prior to their road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It’ll be the Thunder’s final in-season tournament game. They were eliminated from a chance to advance past the group stage, This game will also mark a clash between the top two teams in the Western Conference standings.

Following practice, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and starter Lu Dort spoke with the media. In their media sessions, Daigneault revealed Jalen Williams’ status. He has missed the last three games with a hip strain.

Here’s a quick recap of the Thunder’s Monday practice.

Player grades: SGA’s season-high 43 points leads Thunder to 128-120 win over Cavaliers

Player grades for the Thunder’s 128-120 win over the Cavaliers.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Hitting on a stepback 3-pointer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sizzled out any chance of a potential double-digit blown lead.

The 3-pointer was the early dagger in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 128-120 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. OKC wrapped up a lengthy six-game homestand with an impressive win over a quality opponent.

“That was a pretty complete game in terms of identity on both ends,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought we were tough defensively… We were physical tonight on that end… We had some really quality possessions on offense that got them moving around.”

Playing a healthy Cavaliers, the Thunder got off to a 36-29 lead following the first quarter. OKC added to its lead and entered halftime with a 70-57 advantage.

In the fourth quarter, a pair of free throws by Caris LeVert cut OKC’s lead to four points. Following that, the Thunder went on a 12-4 run to push their lead to 12 points with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder continue to put up an offensive clinic. OKC shot 51% from the field and went 12-of-28 (42.9%) from 3. It also enjoyed a busy night from the free-throw line as it went 28-of-30.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with a season-high 43 points on 15-of-22 shooting. It was a much better night for him from the free-throw line as he went 12-of-13.

Chet Holmgren continues to play like an early Rookie of the Year favorite. In his rematch against the Cavaliers’ lengthy frontcourt, he had 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

“Part of it is being in a lot of actions,” Holmgren said on his shot-contesting skills. “Usually, the other team’s five-man is setting a lot of screens, that means I’m guarding both the five and the guard for a period of time. A lot of times, those guards are coming off looking to score. I’m at the rim a lot and when I’m not, I’m closing out to shooters.”

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers struggled from 3 as they went 9-of-29 (31%). Cleveland also couldn’t take advantage of frequent trips to the free-throw line either as it went 27-of-37 (73%). The Thunder forced 20 turnovers against the Cavaliers and scored 30 points off of it.

“It was great team defense,” Lu Dort said on their defensive performance. “Just the effort was there to just have the back of the next man and just being able to load and contest at the rim and everything. I feel like they’re a tough team and our main thing was to make everything tough for them.”

Multi-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell was a nonfactor for the Cavaliers. He finished with 20 points on 8-of-23 shooting and went 1-of-9 from 3. Having to face the defensive two-man gauntlet of Dort and Cason Wallace was a tall task to overcome for Mitchell.

“He’s tough, he’s tough,” Dort said on guarding Mitchell. “He has the ball a lot. He’s a great player. My main thing is to make everything tough as always.”

The Cavaliers were led by Caris LeVert off the bench, who scored 29 points that included a 13-of-16 night from the free-throw line. Evan Mobley had 22 points and five rebounds.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: SGA returns as Thunder snap losing streak with 126-117 win over Hawks

Player grades for the Thunder’s 126-117 win over the Hawks.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Quickly recovering from a crossover, Lu Dort blocked Trae Young’s 3-point attempt and jumpstarted a fastbreak that ended in a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lob pass to Jalen Williams.

The two-play sequence electrified the Paycom Center crowd in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 126-117 win over the Atlanta Hawks. After a two-game losing skid, OKC collects a win in the penultimate contest of its six-game homestand.

“I thought it was a really, really good defensive game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said about the win. “Good discipline of the good game and we stacked good possessions against a good team.”

This win marked the return of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed one game due to a sprained knee. In his return, he scored 30 points on 20 shots and played within the flow of the offense.

“I thought we played pretty good last game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on his return. “Coming back to the flow, I just didn’t want to throw off the rhythm. I just tried to fit in with the group. Do what was necessary and pick my spots accordingly.”

OKC kept a healthy distance from Atlanta for most of the game. At halftime, it owned a 58-50 lead. After a lengthy review, Lu Dort closed out the first half by being fouled on a 3-point attempt and making all three free throws.

The third quarter was much of the same story as the first half as the Thunder’s 38-27 scoring advantage created a 19-point lead entering the final frame.

The Thunder led wire-to-wire with a lead as large as 19 points, but Atlanta made a run late in the game to threaten OKC’s potential win.

Thanks to a 40-point fourth quarter, the Hawks cut it to a 114-109 deficit in the final 1:55 of the game. It felt like the Thunder were starting to slip away from their game-long lead.

After that though, the Thunder finished off the win with a 12-8 run. The two-play defense-to-offense sequence mentioned earlier was the exclamation mark of that final run to close out the win.

In the nine-point win, the Thunder shot 47% from the field and went 14-of-36 (38.9%) from 3. On the free-throw line, OKC went 22-of-23.

Meanwhile, OKC limited the Hawks on offense. They shot 37% from the field and 14-of-42 (33.3%) from 3. Trae Young was limited to 22 points on 5-of-18 shooting, 11 assists and seven turnovers. Dejounte Murray led Atlanta with 29 points on 7-of-16 shooting.

“I thought there were a couple of plays where the decisions were difficult for him, which is something that you have to do is keep him on his toes,” Daigneault said about defending Young. “Don’t give him the same dose of the same defense over and over again because, obviously, he’s a savvy player.”

This was a solid, much-needed win for OKC. After the Golden State Warriors debacle and the weekend off to chew on it, a win against a quality opponent was a nice refresher.

Entering Monday, the Hawks were on a four-game winning streak with impressive road wins after starting the season 0-2. The return of Gilgeous-Alexander ignited the Thunder and propelled them to a 4-3 record on the young season.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Controversial ending causes Thunder to lose to Warriors, 141-139

Player grades for the Thunder’s 141-139 loss to the Warriors.

OKLAHOMA CITY — After a lengthy review, the officials announced the unfortunate news to the OKC faithful: An offensive basket interference call was overturned.

The packed Paycom Center quickly rained boos down on the court because the reversal meant the Golden State Warriors scored the game-winning basket. The SGA-less Oklahoma City Thunder lost their first in-season tournament game, 141-139.

The controversial final play spoiled an otherwise excellent night by the Thunder. They played without their best player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was out with a knee sprain.

So what exactly happened on the final play?

A Steph Curry floater was initially waved off as it looked like Draymond Green interfered with the basket. The call would’ve likely sent the high-scoring game into overtime.

Instead, the referees went to the monitor and had an extended review that eventually went against OKC’s favor. The offensive goaltending call was overturned as the referees explained Josh Giddey touched the net before Green touched the basket.

Oddly enough, the points were initially awarded to Green instead of Curry before that was corrected. After the game, Daigneault said the referees explained to him that while Green did touch the rim, it did not affect the play enough to call it an offensive goaltend.

“They said he touched the rim but not to the extent that it impacted the play,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “To be honest with you, I don’t really know how the rule’s written but that’s the explanation I got. … I’m assuming they got that right.”

So yeah, that’s a lot to digest. Several interpretations of the offensive goaltend rule have been posted all over social media, so it’s nearly impossible to make sense of that final possession.

Regardless of the reasoning, the Thunder showed out in a playoff-esque environment against one of the greatest teams in league history. It was a back-and-forth contest that saw 15 lead changes and 15 ties. Neither team led by more than nine points.

“It was a great game to be in for our team,” Daigneault said. “I thought it was a classic game where every possession mattered obviously right up until the end of the game. … It was a true 48-minute game, which is no place we’d rather be.”

OKC’s offense had its best showing of the season. It finished with 139 points on 50-of-83 (60.2%) shooting and 15-of-29 (51.7%) from 3. Playing with pace, the Thunder dished 26 assists and flexed its offensive firepower.

Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort made up for Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence. The duo combined for 53 points. Holmgren had 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting while Dort had 29 points and went 6-of-6 shooting from 3.

“It’s good to experience those types of games,” Dort said. “This team has had a lot of success in this league so it’s good to fight against those type of guys.

Meanwhile, the Warriors were led by Curry, who had 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Klay Thompson scored 18 points in the win. Green finished with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Off the bench, Jonathan Kuminga scored 19 points, ex-Thunder Dario Saric had 20 points and Chris Paul dished 13 assists.

Golden State went 18-of-40 (45%) from 3 and dished 36 assists. It scored more than 30 points in every quarter and 141 points in regulation is elite offensive production.

“It was obviously a fun game to be a part of,” Daigneault said. “It was a really competitive game. … The teams that improve with these experiences are the ones that play their best basketball later in the year and the ones that grow over time and that’s the team we want to be.

“I think it’s important that this one stings. Obviously, you want to win but we got to put this one in its proper place.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Thunder mount comeback in 108-105 win over Cavaliers

Player grades for the Thunder’s 108-105 win over the Cavaliers:

Pressuring Donovan Mitchell, the multi-time All-Star failed to cross halfcourt as he lost control of the ball for a game-sealing turnover.

Holding onto a three-point lead, the Oklahoma City Thunder escaped Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse with a stunning 108-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was only the second game of the season, but it felt much more.

“It just comes down to trusting each other and what we can do out there,” Chet Holmgren said following the win. “We did a great job of that down the stretch of the game. We just got to continue that throughout the season.”

The win borders robbery as the Thunder finished the game on a 15-3 run after it looked like Evan Mobley slammed in the game-clinching dunk. The dunk awarded the Cavaliers a 102-93 lead with 1:56 left.

Instead of the Thunder settling for defeat after a tough second half saw them struggle to buy a bucket, OKC hunkered down and came away with the improbable win.

“I’m not surprised, there (were) definitely glimpses of this in previous times,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said about OKC’s 2-0 start. “There’s a contagiousness to this. They got a collective confidence that’s pretty impressive for any team.”

A trailing Holmgren — who collected a franchise-rookie record seven blocks — hit the top-of-the-key 3 to tie the game at 102 apiece with 1:03 left. On the next OKC possession, Lu Dort — who finishes with 25 points — grabbed the ball and hit on a running floater to recapture the lead.

On the immediate possession, Dort showed off his value as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league when he forced the hot-scoring Mitchell to take a highly-contested jumper that missed.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — who almost had his first game without free-throw attempts in nearly two years — sunk a pair of late free throws to seal the win and a stunning final two minutes.

After a strong first half where the Thunder built a 10-point lead, the Cavaliers exited the break with much better play and eventually built a lead as large as 10 points. A 63-point second half was led by Mitchell, who scored a game-high 43 points on 15-of-27 shooting.

For most of the second half, the Cavaliers did an excellent job at forcing the Thunder to play a low-scoring brand of basketball. Prior to the late 15-3 run, the Thunder shot 43% from the field for the second half and were forced to settle for contested jump shots in a stagnated offense. The offensive issues also extended to ball security, as OKC committed 18 turnovers.

The feeling around this game until the last two minutes felt like an inevitable OKC loss. The Cavaliers are a strong playoff contender and — even without Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen — posed a tough challenge.

If the Thunder would’ve lost this game, it wouldn’t have revealed any serious problems. It could’ve easily been shrugged off as a competitive loss to a playoff team.

Instead, the Thunder’s late run resulted in one of the more impressive OKC wins in recent history and continues to supply fuel for the evergrowing hype surrounding this team.

“Our compete level lifted us tonight,” Daigneault said. “I thought we were really, really competitive. Tough defensively — especially in the first half. And the great situational grit to hang in there. That was our best identity stretch of the game.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.