Top Performers From Oklahoma City's Fourth Straight Win
The Thunder just keep winning.
Oklahoma City notched a fourth straight win on Friday night, once again in spectacular fashion.
OKC came all the way back from down 18 points to upend the Sacramento Kings 105-103, in large part to the return of a first-round pick and the efforts of their talismanic defensive stopper.
Lu Dort
Coming into the season, many wondered if the Thunder could win enough games to truly put Lu Dort at the forefront of the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.
But in the last minute against the Kings, the former undrafted free agent continued to make places which will force his name into the running.
Tied at 106 with just six second on the clock, Dort picked the pocket of Sacramento guard De’Aron Fox, taking it coast-to-coast to win the game at the rim.
The scoop and score was the exclamation point on another impressive display from Dort, who finished as OKC’s joint-leading scorer alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Dort also added five rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block en route to the win.
Tre Mann
After getting optioned to the Oklahoma City Blue, first-round pick Tre Mann was a difference maker from the Thunder upon his return from the G-League.
Known for his 3-point sharpshooting in college, Mann did most of his damage against the Kings utilizing his athleticism off the dribble and attacking the basket.
Mann tallied 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, only knocking down one triple, with over half of his points coming during OKC’s fourth quarter rally.
The former Florida guard’s one 3-ball of the game ended up being a huge one as well as he put Oklahoma City ahead 93-92 with 6:30 remaining in the contest, setting the stage for a cagey finish down the stretch.
Mann said his minutes in the G-League helped him build some confidence, and with his newfound confidence in tow, he showed everyone why OKC general manager Sam Presti pulled the trigger on him with the No. 18-overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft.
With all of the young pieces for the Thunder already making major contributions, it’s exciting to see where the team could potentially be at the end of the year, and it bodes well for Oklahoma City’s long-term rebuilding project with Gilgeous-Alexander at the center.
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