OKC Thunder Sees Lu Dort Return to Form Last Two Games

It has been a brilliant 15-1 start to the season for the Oklahoma City Thunder with the defending champions looking not only the part of last year's title team but even better. Despite being short handed, the Bricktown Ballers have the best defense in the NBA, best net rating in the league and sit atop the standings yet again in their quest for their third straight No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The road will not be smooth as the Thunder attempt to buck the trend of parity cast upon the NBA for the first time, with seven straight unique winners –– the last six leading into the 2025 Thunder failed to even make it past the second round –– but if anyone could be the team to give the league their first back-to-back winner since the 2018 Golden State Warriors, it is this OKC Thunder squad.

As Oklahoma City has navigated injuries, Lu Dort has already missed multiple games (6) this season and when he did suit up is off to a laboring start on the offensive end. Entering Monday, the Thunder defensive ace –– who spent the last two seasons shooting 40% from 3-point land –– was averaging just 6.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1 stock (steals plus block) and nearly a turnover per game on 31% shooting from the floor, a 21% clip from beyond the arc and 90% at the free throw line.

His missed triples were loud as he became a streaky but steadying force for this Oklahoma City club in recent years, and his cold stretch fell in line with the Thunder, who ranked dead last from distance in the opening month of the season.

On Monday in New Orleans, things changed for the veteran guard in a big way. He splashed in four first-quarter triples, playing a big part in Oklahoma City's record-setting opening frame. He totaled 17 points, a rebound, assist, steal and block whiel shooting 5-for-9 from the floor and 4-for-6 from downtown in the Thunder's 14th win of the year.

Despite his slow start, his teammates confidence in him never wavered. In fact, despite owning the deepest and most talented club in the NBA, there is no one they prefer with the ball in their hands.

“When we need him to hit, there’s nobody better than big-game Lu Dort to swing the ball to and trust that he’s gonna throw a moon ball up and hit nothing but net,” Rising Star Chet Holmgren explained following the Thunder's win over the Pelicans.

That is high praise from Holmgren but it is a sentiment that echoes throughout the Thunder organization. When you ask anyone from Oklahoma City about Dort, you get the same response: Some variation of calling the All-defensive guard fearless.

"He's got a confidence that transcends the circumstance of the game," Mark Daigneault said post game against Sacramento.

Against the Kings, no one would find the bottom of the net from distance. The Thunder posted 26% clip from 3-point land and the Kings only mustered a 28% conversion rate on such shots.

The early skid didn't deter Dort, who nailed a trio of triples in the fourth quarter to put this game on ice for Oklahoma City. The Arizona State product logged 14 points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. He also shot 4-for-8 from beyond the arc giving him back-to-back four 3-pointer outings and the only two games of his 10 game tilt where he had more than two triples in a game.

With his return to form from downtown, it only serves to bolster the OKC Thunder as they attempt to continue their run of dominance over the NBA.

Up next, the Oklahoma City Thunder jet off to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz in game two of their Western Conference Group A pool play schedule for the NBA Cup.