Inside The Rockets

James Harden Compliments Luguentz Dort After Seven-Game Battle

Harden: "[Dort] played his butt off. He’s gonna have a long career in this league.”
Michael Shapiro|
James Harden Compliments Luguentz Dort After Seven-Game Battle
James Harden Compliments Luguentz Dort After Seven-Game Battle

The Rockets’ series with the Thunder may have featured more nail-biters than originally assumed, but it’s not as though Oklahoma City played completely over its head in the first round.

Chris Paul continued his superb revenge season against his old team, and his complementary guards shined against a vulnerable perimeter defense. But there was one true surprise in this series as Luguentz Dort went from relative unknown to household name.

Dort shined for much of the seven-game battle against James Harden and Co. He held the three-time scoring champion to 46.5 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three, defending Harden as well as any perimeter player in recent memory. And in Game 7, Dort shined on the other end. The Arizona State product led the Thunder with 30 points, belying expectations as he canned six triples. The undrafted rookie has carved out a significant role with Oklahoma City, and he now has the respect of Houston’s leading man.

“[Dort] worked his butt off and it’s showing,"Harden said postgame. "Obviously he played very well tonight and offensively he made a lot of shots."

"He doesn’t care about anything but playing hard. And as a young guy that’s all you can ask for. He has the right mindset of playing hard and playing balls to the wall and not caring about what anybody thinks. He is going to have a long career in this league."

Dort had a chance to put a cherry on top of his superb performance down the stretch of Game 7. But Harden was able to stifle Oklahoma City’s fourth-quarter comeback. The 2017-18 MVP blocked Dort‘s three-point attempt with less than five seconds to play, making the biggest defensive highlight of his career. Dort will have his opportunities to hit a playoff game-winner in the coming years. It wasn’t in the cards on Wednesday.

"I've been locked in all year long, trying to be better on that side of the ball," Harden said. "Tonight there was a huge emphasis on it and I came up with the big block to win the game."

Harden and the Rockets have now dispatched Dort, and a more high-profile opponent awaits. But as round one proved, it’s not always the superstars that drive a series. Even against LeBron James and Anthony Davis, perhaps another Laker will emerge as a thorn in Houston’s side. Though frankly, it’s hard to see any role player faring better than Dort after an impressive seven-game battle.

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Michael Shapiro
MICHAEL SHAPIRO

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