Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's historic 40-point performance dominated the Milwaukee Bucks in a 122-102 win, but didn't do it by himself, as veteran Lu Dort made his presence felt on both ends of the floor. After limiting Donovan Mitchell to 5-of-18 shooting in the Thunder's 136-104 win against the Cleveland Cavs, Dort had his hands full staying in front of Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Without All-Defensive forward Jalen Williams and starting center Isaiah Hartenstein, the Thunder went small with Ajay Mitchell starting in the frontcourt, and Dort was assigned to Antetokounmpo, which didn't disappoint. Antetokounmpo was held to 8-of-11 attempts, which he spent the night fighting for clean looks that came with plenty resistance against the Thunder's top-ranked defense.
After the win, Gilgeous-Alexander commended the defensive stalwart in Dort, who also connected on three threes on the offensive end of the floor, which helped cushion the Thunder's double-digit lead throughout the night.
“He's really honed in on all of his matchups. He watches film; he studies them. So, he cares. He takes it personal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He has a natural gift of physicality and foot speed that is rare at his size. Guys of his strength don't usually move laterally that quickly. So, it allows him to stay in front of the more dynamic guards, whether they're small or a bigger guy like Giannis.
“He's still strong, able to move his feet, and able to be in front of them in many situations. Lu has God-given talents, and he works really hard. You pair those two together, and you've got a really good basketball player. Not just a defender.”
Lu Dort finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 3-for-7 from deep, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals against the Bucks.
“From the moment that Lu has entered the NBA, he's had this unwavering confidence,” Gilgeous-Alexander added. “Even when his percentages weren't the greatest early in his career, or his shot selection wasn't the greatest, Lu always believed that when he shot it, it was going in. And I think having that mentality is like 80 percent of the battle as a shooter, as a player.
“And he has that, and he's also worked over the years super hard to get better in his skill set of the game. He's been through ups and downs this year with shooting, and stuff like that, like the rest of his go through. But him having that unwavering confidence in his ability allows him to have big nights from the field and help this team win on both ends,” Gilgeous-Alexander concluded.
While shooting at a 34.7% from behind the 3-point arc this season, Lu Dort has found his outside touch of late, connecting on a combined 11-for-20 attempts in his last four games, while shooting at a 40.8% clip from three throughout January.
SGA strengthens his MVP case with 40-point performance
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Thunder guard Lu Dort (5) and center Chet Holmgren (7) celebrate after a three point basket during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing at a high level, becoming only the second NBA player to finish with 40 points and 10+ assists, while shooting at least 80% from the floor, which SGA pulled off in Wednesday's win against the Bucks.
After the game, Thunder head coach commended Gilgeous-Alexander for a dominating performance.
“He had 40 [points]. He was 16-for-19. He had 11 assists. He had two turnovers. What he's doing is not normal,” Daigneault said. “I think he makes it look normal. He is not breaking a sweat on a lot of nights, but what he's doing is not normal. So, I think it's important to remember that. The level of efficiency on the degree of difficulty. He's seeing every coverage every night, including tonight. They're running guys at him.”
Then, Gilgeous-Alexander attacked the rim anyway, finishing over Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo en route to an efficient 40-point, 11-assist performance with only two turnovers in 33 minutes.
“He's finishing plays over Giannis, who's one of the best weak-side shot blockers in the last decade. He's making very difficult pull-ups over a hand on a consistent basis,” Daigneault added. “To the 11 assists, he had eight assists in the first half. He's still blending his aggression with the rest of the team, which activates everyone else, and allows everyone else to play in a rhythm as well. So, he's been so consistent, but tonight was pretty special. That was something else.”
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will host the Pacers on Friday.