Tag: Luguentz Dort

Lu Dort sets Thunder rookie playoff scoring record in Game 7 loss

Luguentz Dort on Wednesday to set a rookie team record but the effort was not enough as the Thunder fell to the Rockets in Game 7, 104-102.

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Just two games after turning in a historically bad shooting performance, Luguentz Dort on Wednesday set a rookie team record but the effort was not enough as the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Houston Rockets in Game 7, 104-102.

Dort scored a game-high 30 points in 35 minutes of work as the Thunder lost in the final seconds to the Rockets. The Thunder had an opportunity to either tie or take the lead with less than two seconds remaining but their play was broken up and the Rockets held on to win.

The rookie finished by shooting 10-of-21 from the field and 6-of-12 from 3-point range. He set the Thunder rookie scoring record for a playoff game once he crossed the 21-point threshold and his performance capped off a strong finish to his rookie campaign.

The performance on Wednesday came two games after Dort recorded six points in Game 5, shooting 3-of-16 from the field while he missed all nine of his 3-point attempts. His nine misses were the third-most in a playoff game without making any shots.

Despite the uneven shooting display in the series, Dort played stout defense on James Harden and continued to shoot the ball with confidence. His teammates constantly encouraged him to keep shooting and that message paid off, albeit in a losing effort, on Wednesday.

The Thunder played well enough throughout the game to have a chance at the end but ultimately didn’t execute well enough to win. The team had established itself as one of the best in crunch-time situations this season but couldn’t duplicate that success one more time.

Houston will now face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals on Friday.

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Inside the advice the Thunder gave Lu Dort after historic Game 5 woes

After missing all nine of his 3-point attempts in Game 5, Thunder rookie Luguentz Dort bounced back on Monday to help force a Game 7.

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Luguentz Dort had a historically bad shooting performance during Game 5 on Saturday as the Oklahoma City Thunder nearly suffered a 40-point defeat to the Houston Rockets but his teammates implored him to continue to shoot the ball.

Dort recorded just six points in the contest, shooting 3-of-16 from the field while he missed all nine of his 3-point attempts. His nine misses were the third-most in a playoff game without making any shots and were the most ever by a player logging fewer than 25 minutes.

The rookie bounced back in Game 6 on Monday as the Thunder defeated the Rockets behind the heroics of Chris Paul. The 10-time NBA All-Star scored 15 of his 28 total points in the fourth quarter to seal the win and force Game 7 on Wednesday.

Dort came up big for the Thunder in the third quarter when he scored 10 of his 13 points in the period, including a personal 8-0 run heading into the fourth quarter. After missing all nine of his 3-point attempts, Dort went 2-of-6 from beyond the arc on Monday.

“I do think that the two 3’s that he made, I give him a lot of credit as a young player to go 0-for-9 last game,” head coach Billy Donovan said.

Paul has been a driving force in instilling confidence in Dort amid his shooting struggles. His pep talk in Game 4 proved to be instrumental in Dort avoiding fouling out and Paul once again offered some strong words of encouragement following his Game 5 woes.

“The thing we have been telling Lu ever since last game was, if they back off of you, you shoot it,” Paul said. “We got too much confidence in him and his ability and what he has been doing; he means so much to our team. The good thing about a series is that each game takes on its own identity. I said it game after game: I’m gonna ride with Lu Dort ’til the wheels fall off.”

Paul has been invaluable to the Thunder this season based on his leadership and ability on the floor. He has helped pick up his teammates when needed and the advice offered from him has given players like Dort the confidence to continue playing at a high level.

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Behind the heroics of Chris Paul, Thunder beat Rockets to force Game 7

Vintage CP3 made an appearance in Game 6 on Monday night as the Thunder beat the Rockets to force Game 7 on Wednesday.

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Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder were trailing the Houston Rockets by six points with three and a half minutes to go in what could have been their final game of the season. What followed next was vintage CP3 at his best.

With Robert Covington on him, a former NBA All-Defensive First Team player, Paul drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to tie up the game. Paul later hit two clutch free throws to put the Thunder up for good with 13.1 seconds left in the game.

Paul scored 28 points, including 15 alone in the fourth quarter, to lead the Thunder to the 104-100 victory on Monday and force Game 7 on Wednesday night. He shot 10-of-20 from the field and made 3-of-6 from 3-point range with each triple coming in the final period.

The Thunder trailed by as many as nine points in the third quarter but went on a 16-3 run to come back and take the lead. After struggling mightily in Game 5, Thunder rookie Luguentz Dort went on a personal 8-0 run to end the third period as he finished with 13 points in the contest.

Dort got into early foul trouble in the first quarter after getting whistled three times in the period. He sat for the entire second quarter before he returned with 10 points alone in the third period. Instead of getting down on himself, he came back and helped the Thunder stay alive.

The Thunder have emerged as the best team in crunch-time situations this season and the group once again proved that they are not done until the final buzzer. Paul & Co. will need to replicate that magic one more time to advance to the second round and play the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Luguentz Dort had a historically bad shooting performance in Game 5

Luguentz Dort struggled to shoot in Game 5 on Saturday as the Thunder nearly lost by 40 points.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder trailed by just three points at halftime. The team managed to erase a 13-point first-quarter deficit and, at one point, even had the lead in the first half behind the stellar play of Dennis Schroder.

The pace of the game quickly changed, however.

The Rockets outscored the Thunder 37-18 in the third quarter and carried a 22-point lead into the fourth quarter. The lead eventually ballooned to 34 points and the Rockets walked away with a 114-80 Game 5 win over the Thunder on Saturday night.

James Harden scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Rockets as he faced little difficulty throughout the contest. Thunder rookie Luguentz Dort, the player in charge of guarding Harden this series, was unable to duplicate his stellar defensive effort on him and struggled throughout the game.

In fact, Dort turned in a historically bad shooting performance.

Dort recorded just six points in the contest, shooting 3-of-16 from the field while he missed all nine of his 3-point attempts. According to StatMuse, his nine misses were the third-most in a playoff game without making any shots and were the most by a player logging fewer than 25 minutes.

Dort has emerged as perhaps the Thunder’s best defensive player this season but has struggled at times to shoot. Those issues were on display on Saturday as the Thunder got blown out in the second half.

Chris Paul was seen talking with Dort early in the game after he missed a few shots in an attempt to keep his confidence high. The talk seemed to work as Dort continued to shoot it but it just wasn’t his night.

The Thunder played about as poorly as possible in the second half but, fortunately, will have a quick turnaround as the two teams will meet in Game 6 on Monday with their season on the line.

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Lu Dort miraculously avoided fouling out in Game 4 win vs. Rockets

Chris Paul told Luguentz Dort he couldn’t foul out of Game 4 and the rookie somehow managed to do just that.

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Just 23 seconds into the fourth quarter in Game 4 on Monday, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort picked up his fifth personal foul. Consider what was at stake, Chris Paul told the rookie that he couldn’t pick up his sixth foul if the Thunder wanted to have a chance of winning.

And Dort did just that.

The rookie has been tasked with guarding James Harden throughout the series and has often locked up him. In fact, entering the contest, Dort held Harden to just 18 points on 3-of-21 shooting from the field while the rest of his teammates allowed Harden to score 78 points on 26-of-44 shooting in the three previous games of the series.

Put simply: The Thunder needed Dort to play big minutes down the stretch.

Dort logged 10 minutes in the fourth quarter, while maintaining his defensive assignment on Harden, and helped the Thunder to a 117-114 win to even the series at two games apiece. Harden finished with 32 points and 15 assists but scored just seven in the final period, shooting 3-of-7 from the field with Dort on him.

Harden has established himself as perhaps the best player in isolation and can get his defenders into foul trouble quickly. Even with five fouls, Dort continued to stay aggressive on Harden and managed to avoid fouling out. The defense Dort played on Harden with five fouls earned high praise from Paul afterward.

In the last game, Lu was special. Lu is unbelievable on how he accepts the challenge. He has to listen to me yelling at him all game about what to do here and what to do there. When he had five fouls, I just kept telling him, ‘You can’t get a sixth! It’s not that you shouldn’t get one, you can’t get a sixth.’ A lot of times when guys get five fouls, they play tentative and they start pulling their hands back and he just, I don’t know, he’s just one of those guys that deserves to be here and I’m glad to see him having success.

The Thunder held the Rockets scoreless for a large stretch in the fourth quarter, which allowed them to complete the win after trailing by as many as 15 points in the game. Dort only scored nine points but it was his defense and ability to stay in the game that helped the Thunder in a big way.

Dort has proven to be a strong defender this season and has often openly accepted the challenge of defending the top players in the league. The way he has guarded Harden shouldn’t go overlooked and it is likely even more impressive considering he is in just his first season in the NBA.

Game 5 between the Thunder and Rockets is set for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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Lu Dort explains why he isn’t wearing James Harden’s shoes in the playoffs

Thunder forward Luguentz Dort has often laced up James Harden’s signature shoe this season but the rookie hasn’t worn them in the playoffs.

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort typically wears Adidas on the hardwood and has often laced up James Harden’s signature sneaker this season but the rookie hasn’t worn them during the NBA Playoffs.

And that, according to Dort, is by design.

Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report noticed the switch by Dort and asked him about the adjustment. Dort said that while he has a ton of respect for the former MVP, he couldn’t bring himself to wear his shoes with the Thunder facing him and the Houston Rockets in the first round of their playoff series.

After consulting with teammate Chris Paul, Dort ditched the shoes.

Dort and Harden are each Arizona State alums and have trained together in the past but the friendships off of the court take a backseat in the playoffs. Since Dort scrapped the Harden 4s on the court, he has gone with Damian Lillard’s signature shoe.

Dort played an integral role in the Thunder’s win over the Rockets on Saturday night. He only scored nine points and eight rebounds during the 119-107 overtime win but it was his defense on Harden that was his biggest contribution to the game.

Harden scored a game-high 38 points but struggled when guarded by Dort. With Dort as his primary defender, Harden managed just nine points and shot 2-of-14 from the field, including 1-of-9 from 3-point range, while he was blocked three times, according to NBA tracking data.

Dort has emerged as perhaps the Thunder’s best defender in only his rookie season and his ability to lock up Harden hasn’t gone unnoticed among fans, either.

Game 4 between the Thunder and Rockets is set for Monday at 4 p.m. ET.

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Thunder fans absolutely loved Luguentz Dort’s defense on James Harden

Dennis Schroder and Chris Paul combined to score 55 points but it may have been Dort that stole the show as the Thunder won Game 3.

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Dennis Schroder and Chris Paul combined to score 55 points on Saturday but it may have been the play of rookie Luguentz Dort that ultimately stole the show as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets in Game 3 on Saturday.

Dort only scored nine points and eight rebounds but it was his defense on James Harden that allowed the Thunder to cut the series deficit to 2-1 with the 119-107 overtime win. Harden finished with a team-high 38 points but Dort limited him to just 3-of-13 shooting from 3-point range.

Harden played just 53 seconds in the overtime session before fouling out, which allowed the Thunder to pull out the win behind the brilliant play by Paul and others. However, Thunder fans were happy to see their guy have success against Harden in the matchup on defense.

Dort in only his rookie season has emerged as perhaps the best defender on the Thunder and he has found success against Harden this season. Back in January, Dort held Harden to 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field as his primary defender.

He missed Game 1 due to a knee injury but his presence on the court has been key to the Thunder playing well in the series. Stopping Harden completely is highly unlikely but his effort to slow down the former MVP hasn’t gone unnoticed and the Thunder are benefitting from his play.

Game 4 between the two teams is set to tip-off on Monday at 4 p.m. ET on TNT.

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Lu Dort is the highest-effort defensive player in the NBA

Using average speed on defense in relation to speed on offense, we establish which players are running harder on defense and vice versa.

Just by watching your typical NBA game, one thing that immediately stands out is how some players simply try harder than others – be it by running faster, putting their bodies on the line for loose balls or anything else that requires high effort – on the less glamorous end of the floor.

And thanks to the advanced level of statistics that the NBA is gracious enough to share with fans and media on the league website, we can actually try and decipher which players are running harder on defense and which reserve their top-end speed for offensive purposes, which could have a lot to do with the roles given to them by their specific teams.

For clarity, this includes speed in half-court sets and in transition opportunities.

Checking out the rankings based on our research, the Top 20 players who run the fastest on defense in relation to their average speed on offense – we’re calling it the defense-versus-offense effort ratio – is filled with guys who are known for being high-energy point-stoppers, including the likes of OG Anunoby, Matisse Thybullle, Avery Bradley, Jevon Carter and the No. 1 finisher on the list, Oklahoma City guard Luguentz Dort, who has made waves defensively in his first year with the club:

There are a few surprises on the list, namely Enes Kanter, Hassan Whiteside and Kevin Porter Jr. who aren’t known for going all out on defense, but overall, this defensive effort ratio we created gives a pretty good indication of which guys may simply be trying harder on the point-preventing end of the floor than they are on offense.

Dort finishing No. 1 comes as no surprise to anyone who has closely watched the Thunder this campaign, as Oklahoma City veterans and coaches have raved about the rookie’s defensive effort. Steven Adams had this to say about Dort in early August after a game where the first-year guard made life difficult for LeBron James:

“‘He’s an animal. It’s all the small stuff. Making them start their offense at a later clock, which rushes them more. It’s all that small stuff that is so good. It will help out tremendously in the playoffs.'”

In Game 2 of the matchup between Oklahoma City and the Houston Rockets, we saw the level of impact Dort has on defense for the Thunder, as the Arizona State product pestered and hounded former league MVP James Harden all game long:

Harden finished the evening with a mere (by his standards) 21 points on 5-of-16 shooting, though with Dort guarding him, per NBA.com, he had just nine points, converting only one of his seven field-goal attempts in those possessions.

Teammates took notice of Dort’s impact on the defensive end for that contest:

Dort’s defensive chops already as a rookie give him huge upside on that end of the floor, and as long as he continues to play as hard on the point-stopping side of things as our defensive-effort ratio indicates, he’ll continue to see even more minutes for Oklahoma City.

Thunder’s Lu Dort to start Game 2 after sitting with a knee injury

Thunder rookie Luguentz Dort suffered a right knee sprain against the Heat on Aug. 12 after banging knees with Jae Crowder.

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After sitting in Game 1 due to a knee injury, Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Luguentz Dort will start in Game 2 on Thursday against the Houston Rockets, the team announced prior to tipoff.

Dort suffered a right knee sprain against the Miami Heat on Aug. 12 after colliding with Jae Crowder. The two players banged knees on the play and Dort left the game and would not return. He was ruled out of playing in Game 1.

Without Dort in the lineup, the Thunder suffered a 123-108 blowout loss to the Rockets on Tuesday, who were without Russell Westbrook, in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Dort has emerged as a key player for the Thunder during the season restart, averaging 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in seven games at the Wide World of Sports Complex. He is one of the team’s best defenders and his absence proved to be a big loss in Game 1.

Game 2 is scheduled to tip-off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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Lu Dort has been cleared to return to Thunder lineup for Game 2

After missing the Thunder’s last two games, starting guard Lu Dort has been cleared to return to action.

On Thursday, in the hours before tip-off of Game 2 of their best-of-seven first round playoff series against James Harden and the Houston Rockets, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan alerted the masses that starting shooting guard Luguentz Dort was cleared to return to the lineup.

Although it wasn’t immediately known whether Dort would take his normal spot in the team’s starting lineup, his availability was a welcomed addition as the team attempts to rebound from a humbling Game 1 loss it suffered at the hands of the Rockets on Tuesday.

Houston will play yet another game without Russell Westbrook, but his return could happen in time for Game 3, which will be contested on Saturday.

Naturally, that increases the urgency with which the Thunder will approach Game 2 — the squad certainly doesn’t want to find itself in an 0-2 hole knowing that Westbrook’s return may be right around the corner.

Thursday’s action will commence at 2:30 p.m. CT, and the Thunder may very well be fighting for their lives.