How Lu Dort defended Luka Doncic like a 'warrior' for Thunder vs Mavericks in Game 1 win
Lu Dort did everything right when he defended Luka Doncic early in the first quarter Tuesday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals between OKC and Dallas.
When a screen came, Dort fought it off. When Doncic attacked the rim, Dort stuck with him stride for stride. When Doncic picked up his dribble and pump faked, Dort didn't bite.
Dort played textbook defense, but he still watched as Doncic drilled a contested fadeaway shot.
"He's that type of player for a reason," Dort said of Doncic. "He's going to make tough shots. ... We've got to be cool with that, but it just has to be tough. It can't just be an easy shot where he can get in his rhythm."
Dort stayed true to his game plan throughout the night.
The result: A 117-95 win for the Thunder over the Mavericks. And even though Doncic hit the occasional contested shot, he scored a playoff-low 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting from the floor (31.6%) and 1-for-8 shooting from deep (12.5%).
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Some of Doncic's struggles can be chalked up to his sprained knee, which caused him to limp throughout the night. Some of it can be chalked up to the fatigue that came from being taken to six games by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.
But most of it can be chalked up to the work by Dort. Doncic only scored three points and went 1 for 3 from the floor with Dort as the primary defender.
"He's just a warrior," OKC head coach Mark Daigneault said of Dort. "He brings the juice every single night. Doncic is a really hard matchup and a great player who didn't have his best pitch tonight. He's going to play better than this, but Lu made it hard on him."
Dort shined as the primary defender on Brandon Ingram during OKC's first-round sweep of New Orleans.
Nothing came easy for The Big Easy's star forward. Ingram finished the series with an average of just 14.3 points on 34.5% shooting from the floor (25% shooting from deep).
Doncic presents a bigger challenge. The 6-foot-7 scoring machine uses his size and physicality to punish guards. He also uses his ballhandling and craftiness to punish forwards.
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It's no wonder Doncic led the league in regular-season points per game (33.9). But Dort showcased his warrior mentality in front of a Paycom Center crowd that could rival The Colosseum.
"My biggest thing was to try to stay in front of him," Dort said. "Everything had to be contested. ... I was really just trying to move my feet and stay in front of him."
Doncic only freed himself from Dort's smothering defense when he traveled to the free-throw line, where he went 6 for 10.
Two of Doncic's five trips to the charity stripe came because of Dort, who finished the night with five fouls in 26 minutes.
That marked the most fouls committed by Dort since OKC's road win over New York on March 31. Frequent trips to the foul line are nothing new for Doncic, who ranks second in the league in free-throw attempts per game (8.7).
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"I've got to show my hands," Dort said. "If the refs can't see my hands, they don't know what's going on. ... One of the biggest keys was not to foul (Doncic). I didn't really do a good job of that. I've got to watch film and get better."
Dort takes pride in the film-studying process.
It's how he went from an undrafted guard in 2019 to a key player on an OKC team with championship aspirations. And it's how he made life difficult for the league's most lethal scorer on Tuesday.
"At the end of the day, it's my job," Dort said about studying film. "I love this job. I've been blessed with this job to be able to take care of my family and myself. ... I really enjoy that."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Lu Dort defended Luka Doncic like a 'warrior' for Thunder vs Mavericks
