'He’s not afraid': How Luguentz Dort, OKC Thunder stunned Pelicans in NBA play-in tournament

NEW ORLEANS — Lyrics from Meek Mill filled the Thunder’s locker room.

“Hold up, wait a minute, y’all thought I was finished …” 

It looked that way at times, but after upsetting the Pelicans 123-118 on Wednesday, the Thunder season isn’t finished. With one more win, in another do-or-die game scheduled for Friday in Minneapolis, the Thunder will secure a playoff spot — keeping its dream season alive that much longer.

In the biggest moments Wednesday, the Thunder leaned on Lu Dort, who seems to thrive in elimination settings.

“He’s just a visceral competitor,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “He loves these environments. He’s not afraid.”

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It was Dort who sparked the offense early on, scoring 12 of the Thunder’s first 14 points, and Dort who got the late-game stop against Pelicans star Brandon Ingram.

Ingram, with a five-inch height advantage on Dort, turned to his left and missed a 16-foot jumper that would’ve given the Pelicans the lead with 18 seconds left. Dort was there with the close contest.

With 10 seconds left, and the Thunder up by two, Josh Giddey inbounded to a cutting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was blocked at the rim by Pelicans guard Josh Richardson, the former Edmond Santa Fe standout.

Dort collected the loose ball, saving the Thunder from a potentially disastrous sequence, and was fouled on a put-back attempt. Dort knocked down both free throws to give the Thunder a four-point cushion.

Dort went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in his 27-point night.

Ingram made things interesting when he drilled a 3-pointer with four seconds left to cut OKC’s lead to one point. Ingram was irate, claiming after the game that Dort made contact with his elbow, which could have led to a game-tying four-point play.

“He touched my elbow,” Ingram said. “It wasn’t called. They let a lot of stuff go tonight.”

Ingram scored 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting, but he was hounded by Dort all night long. And Ingram only outscored Dort by three points.

Dort finished three points shy of 30, which he scored as a rookie against the Rockets in that unforgettable Game 7 in the bubble three seasons ago.

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Against the Pelicans, Dort was 4-of-8 from 3-point range, with three of those makes coming in the first quarter.

“Lu’s a big-time player,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, “and we’ve known that for a little bit now.”

Dort was asked if Wednesday, a Thunder win in an elimination game, reminded him of how he played in that Game 7 loss.

“I mean, a little bit,” said Dort, cracking a smile. “That’s really what helped me make my name in this league. Tonight was just another one, and I’m just looking forward to the next one.”

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander flips NBA play-in game

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t linger in the locker room.

As soon as the halftime act left the court, Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed a ball to get shots up. He had work to do after scoring seven points in the first half — a season low.

“I usually try to get out there as fast as I can,” SGA said. “I didn’t think too much of it. I know the game is full of ups and downs, makes and misses.”

Pelicans wing Herb Jones was glued to Gilgeous-Alexander. Jones picked up SGA full court. Jones face-guarded SGA. When SGA sat, Jones sat. When SGA walked to the scorer’s table, Jones walked to the scorer’s table.

Jones had plenty of help in slowing the Thunder’s star guard. The Pelicans’ primary defensive strategy? Get the ball out of Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands.

The Thunder knew what was coming, but the Pelicans executed the plan perfectly.

SGA shot 3-of-10 in the first half. Four of his attempts were from 3-point range, which tied a season high for a half. The only other half in which SGA attempted four 3-pointers was back in November, against Jones and the Pelicans.

The Pelicans blocked SGA’s path to the hoop, which forced SGA to settle.

More: Tramel: Luguentz Dort returns to a virtual Game 7, with Thunder-Pelicans NBA play-in game

The Thunder only trailed by six points at halftime, though, as Dort and Josh Giddey kept OKC’s offense afloat.

The third quarter belonged to Gilgeous-Alexander.

He scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting as the Thunder outscored the Pelicans 39-24 in the third.

The Thunder has been the best third-quarter team by net rating all season, and that held true Wednesday night.

Despite the slow start, SGA’s final line looked awfully familiar: 32 points on 50% shooting with five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

SGA said he countered the way the Pelicans played him by “making the right basketball play and trusting my teammates.”

“And as you can see, my teammates came through tonight.”

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Josh Giddey ties scoring high

Play-in stats are written in invisible ink in the NBA record books, but Thunder fans will remember Josh Giddey’s 31-point game against the Pelicans.

Giddey shot 11-of-22, the same as SGA, to tie his career scoring high. He was 3-of-7 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Giddey had 10 assists and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a triple-double.

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When the Pelicans forced the ball out of SGA’s hands, the ball often found Giddey, who more times than not made the Pelicans pay.

“He was amazing tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He was the best version of himself. He was aggressive, he made the right plays and he was confident. When Josh is those things, he’s a really good basketball player.”

Giddey, Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort combined for 90 of the Thunder’s 123 points.

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Thunder tip-ins

● It was a red out at Smoothie King Center, which sits in the shadow of the Caesars Superdome. The phrase “One Nola” was on the front of the shirts. The Pelicans wore red and the Thunder wore blue.

● The 8:30 p.m. tip-off was pushed back to 8:50 as the Bulls-Raptors game ran late.

● The Pelicans typically have one of the worst crowds in the NBA, and while Smoothie King Center was more full than usual, it was underwhelming by postseason standards.

● Mark Daigneault played nine guys — the regular starters plus Isaiah Joe, Dario Saric, Lindy Waters III and Aaron Wiggins off the bench. The minutes from Saric and Wiggins were especially impactful.

● Neither team shot it well from 3-point range. OKC shot 30% and New Orleans shot 32%. Trey Murphy III made four of the Pelicans’ nine 3-pointers. He was the Pelicans’ second-leading scorer with 21 points.

● Herbert Jones, in addition to guarding Gilgeous-Alexander, scored 20 points.

● Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas feasted in the first quarter against the undersized Thunder. Valanciunas had three offensive rebounds and three baskets in the first three minutes of the game. As the previous four matchups went, Valanciunas wasn’t much of a factor after that. He was hobbled by an injury in the fourth quarter.

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NBA play-in tournament schedule, results

Eastern Conference

• Tuesday: Hawks 116, Heat 105 (Hawks clinch No. 7 seed to face No. 2 Boston Celtics)

• Wednesday: Bulls 109, Raptors 105 (Bulls advance to play Heat for No. 8 seed)

• Friday: Bulls at Heat, 6 p.m. (TNT)

Western Conference

• Tuesday: L.A. Lakers 108, Timberwolves 102, OT (Lakers clinch No. 7 seed to face No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies)

• Wednesday: Thunder 123, Pelicans 118 (Thunder advance to play Timberwolves for No. 8 seed)

• Friday: Thunder at Timberwolves, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder beats New Orleans Pelicans in NBA play-in tournament