A rookie guard who was virtually unknown a few months ago may have changed the shape of the Thunder’s first-round series, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. Luguentz Dort made life difficult for Rockets star James Harden whenever they were matched up in Saturday’s Game 3, setting the stage for Oklahoma City to rally for a badly needed overtime victory.
Harden scored 38 points, but shot just 7-for-21 while Dort was in the game. The rookie has shown an ability to stay in front of the league’s top scorer and force him into contested 3-pointers.
“We know Lu and what he does,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s what we expect every night.”
Dort’s defensive prowess leaves coach Billy Donovan with a difficult choice moving forward, notes Royce Young of ESPN. The Thunder need Dort to counteract Harden, but that means sitting out one member of the unit that normally closes games. An injury to Steven Adams dictated the decision Saturday, but Donovan may have to adjust his regular lineup for the rest of the series.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- It’s too soon to think about firing Michael Malone, but Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post believes trust between the Nuggets coach and his players is broken after two straight lopsided losses to the Jazz. Malone questioned his team’s resolve after Game 3, saying, “I think we give in too easy” and “Our group has to be a lot more mentally tough.” Denver doesn’t have a hard-nosed leader in the locker room, Kiszla adds, and its closest thing to a “glue guy” is Will Barton, who left Orlando to rehab his injured knee.
- The strain of returning to a high-pressure environment 17 months after suffering a compound fracture in his leg is beginning to show on Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, observes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Players are usually brought along slowly after such a serious injury, but Nurkic is being asked to log heavy minutes in a playoff setting. Slater notes that an injury to Zach Collins and a lack of production from Hassan Whiteside leaves Portland with no other options.
- Collins talks with Jason Quick of The Athletic about the frustration of having a second serious injury within 12 months. Collins, who is coming off surgery on his left shoulder, now has a hairline fracture in his left ankle that doctors discovered before Game 2. “You don’t want to be a downer in front of your team and get everybody’s mood down,” he said. “They don’t need that. But definitely, when I got back (to the hotel) and talked with my agent and my parents, it all kind of hits you. It hits you that you are going to have to go through a whole another process again.”
Lu Dort has the best defensive body type on the Wings
I’d trade Paschall and a future first for Dort
“best defensive body type on the wing”
Kawhi and Ben Simmons: “are we a joke to you”??
Now Ben Simmons is as good a defensive wing as Kawhi?
Body type wise? Ben is bigger, with a bigger wingspan. He also tries as hell every night.
Kawhi still the lock, when he wants to be
Simmons might cover more ground than anyone. Or did, this year
Ben >>>>> Kawhi
Simmons is not a wing, or a PG, he is a PF. Comparing him to Kawhi is ridiculously premature. Let’s see him win a championship or defensive POY, then compare him to one of the top players in the NBA.
You didn’t update, and he’s not one thing or another. He was all pver.
And GMs of every other opposing teams are praying for you to get a GM job so the fleecing may begin….this is a prime example of the Dort hype train springing up from nowhere and quickly spinning out of control with zero evidence to support it and a guy averaging over 32 points almost 9 assists shooting 44% from the floor (best shooting % since coming to Houston) asking that very hype train, “Wht defense”?
Dort is incredibly fun to watch. Not the most talented or gifted player in the universe, but the kid works hard and went from a two-way contract to a 30 minute starter in less than a year. Persistence pays off
Kawhi is best 2way player. He locks down on crunch time. But I like Ben. He’s long and moves like a guard. Very players like that. He will be one of best D players soon. Getting there
Just gotta trust the process because it has worked great so far.
I have watched the first three games between Denver and Utah.
The problem with Nuggets’ offense is that they are too passive. What’s the point in having such an incredible passer (Jokić), if most of his teammates just stand in corners, not moving?
That, I think, is coach’s fault.
It’s definitely not too soon to think about firing Michael Malone. His team was supposed to be one of the top contenders in the West, but now they’re on the verge of being eliminated in the first round by Utah. I’d be shocked if he’s not fired after such a dismal showing in this year’s playoffs.
The environment created by Malone in Denver as been described (locally) as “collegiate”. It worked when they were improving and he was a teacher but after this fiasco, less pleasant words for that may get employed. Like, players are run down. I think their strategy of acquiring the best offensive talent then “coaching them up” to be better-rounded got overplayed.
Now they’re tired of him especially in the camp bubble apart from friends & fam. Maybe similar to Brett Brown (previous article).
Yeah Denver shouldn’t lose this series. Don’t really know them well. But what I saw last yr. They are better than this.
Really the Dort hype train is just ridiculous. Not like Harden’s averaging over 32 points, nearly 9 assists with his best shooting % from the field since joining the Rockets (over 44%).
That one announcer in game 3, Lois or Phyllis was going overboard (and was just plain wrong on almost every account) with his supposed shut down defense and literally overnight he’s perceived as this top notch superstar defender and containing Harden….because this one announcer loved to hear herself talk and wouldn’t let the other analysts get a word in edgewise (sidenote; when did it become a proper way to pronounce words ending with an “S” sound like “blocks” with an “sh” sound, like “blocksh”? It’s like half of the people calling sports games do that now) and everyone just agrees because she wouldn’t shut up about it, rather than doing something so simple as checking the actual stats. She started this with 5 minutes left in regulation as Houstons entire team went ice cold which is the opposite of an analyst or color commentators job as it’s reactionary. Houston (and Harden) can’t buy a bucket all of the sudden? Well it must be because of the guy nobody outside of Oklahoma knows and how amazing his defense is. His defense is going to make his next contract HUGE. Then started showing highlights and breakdowns of his defense which was good. But nothing any other decent defensive player does…her logic conveniently ignoring the 36 points Harden had already dropped on the new face of the defensive elite through 3 quarters. It was overly ridiculous, obnoxious and factually incorrect on every level while she was doing it during the game but the way that the media has latched on for no reason to support it and all kinds of reasons and ways that it is blatantly false (other than the media is actually quite stupid and void of logic generally speaking along with the anti Harden bias which is quite real) brings a whole new level of idiocy
It’s like they’re the people from that story The Emperors New Clothes…
Epic post. some notes:
Delores does go overboard. I don’t like it either.
The “sh” & “ch” sounds exist because some people like to pronounce names as they assume they are pronounced in their native land. I dislike doing that also, but there is a good reason to do that. In Eastern Europe they have letters English doesn’t, with little swirls underneath a “s” or a “c” which means it should be pronounced as “sh” or “ch”. In the US the swirls disappear making for changes in pronunciation. Rubbish changes. Who really speaks Slovenian? Donsik sounds better than Donchich anyway.
Saric is better than Shahrich or I hear, Chrch.
Dort… Someone has to be credited when upsets happen. He should have been drafted at least, I said by 40th.