What were Lu Dort's best games during OKC Thunder's run to NBA championship?

The OKC Thunder has found success by maintaining its core values.

OKC develops talent. It plays like a team. It prides itself on its defense. And Lu Dort arguably represents Thunder basketball as well as anyone on the roster.

Dort is the longest-tenured OKC player, and he was an invaluable piece to the team’s NBA championship run last season. The 26-year-old guard earned an All-Defensive first team and also shot a career-high 41.2% from deep.

Here are the top 10 performances by Dort during OKC’s title run.

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Top 10 Lu Dort games during OKC Thunder’s 2024-25 season

Stat line: 11 points, six rebounds and two assists

Dort didn’t just perform well during the playoffs. He also stepped up during the NBA Cup tournament.

OKC earned a 118-104 home win over Dallas in the quarterfinals, and Dort showed why he’s one of the league’s best defenders. He helped hold Luka Doncic to only 16 points on 5-for-15 shooting from the field (2 for 8 from deep).

Dort was the primary defender on three of Doncic’s 10 missed shots. He also chipped in 11 points, six boards and two assists.

Stat line: 22 points, five rebounds and two steals

No, this performance didn’t come during the NBA Finals. It came during OKC’s 74th game of the regular season, but it was still incredibly impressive.

Dort torched the net for 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field (6 for 7 from deep). The scoring spree helped OKC cruise to a 132-111 home win.

After shooting 29.7% from deep as a rookie in 2019-20, Dort shot a career-high 41.2% this past season on over twice as many attempts per game. He has made huge strides in that department, and this performance showed that.

Stat line: 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals

After playing lockdown defense against Doncic during the NBA Cup quarterfinals, Dort contributed in other ways during a semifinals game against Houston.

The 6-foot-4 guard attacked the glass and snagged nine rebounds. He also scored 19 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the field (5 for 9 from deep), as OKC claimed a 111-96 home win.

Dort nearly finished with a double-double, which would’ve been his first of the season and the sixth of his six-year career. Despite falling short of that feat, this well-rounded performance deserves a spot on the list.

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Oklahoma City's Luguentz Dort (5) celebrates a 3-point basket during second half of the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan., 5, 2025.

Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort (5) celebrates a 3-point basket during second half of the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan., 5, 2025.

Stat line: 14 points, six points and one steal

Dort couldn’t buy a shot throughout the first three quarters of a home game against Boston.

He missed five of his six 3-point attempts, but he began to heat up in the final frame. Dort erupted for 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field (3 for 3 from deep).

That helped OKC outscored Boston 29-12 in the fourth quarter to secure a 105-92 victory. The Thunder extended its win streak to a franchise record of 15 games, not including its NBA Cup finals loss to Milwaukee.

Stat line: 22 points, two rebounds and two assists

Cleveland snapped OKC’s 15-game win streak on Jan. 8. That set the stage for a highly-anticipated rematch between the league’s top two teams on Jan. 16.

The Thunder got its revenge with a 134-114 home win, and Dort got the best of Donovan Mitchell. The Cavaliers’ superstar guard was held to just eight points on 3-for-15 shooting from the field (1 for 4 from deep).

Dort was the primary defender on three of Mitchell’s 12 missed shots. He also scored 22 points of his own on 8-for-11 shooting from the field (6 for 9 from deep).

Stat line: 26 points, seven rebounds and four steals

This game marked a showdown between the league’s top two candidates for MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.

But it was Dort who shined the brightest for the Thunder. He scored a season-high 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field (8 for 14 from deep), and he also poured in seven rebounds and four steals.

Unfortunately for OKC, that wasn’t enough. Denver still walked out of Paycom Center with a 140-127 road win on a night when Jokic racked up 35 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists.

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Oklahoma City guard Luguentz Dort (5) guards Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards (5) in the first quarter durning game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

Stat line: 12 points, four rebounds and three steals

The “Dorture Chamber” was in full effect during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Anthony Edwards was held to 19 points on 7-for-18 shooting from the field (1 for 7 from deep). Dort was the primary defender on six of the superstar guard’s 11 missed shots, and he helped defend another three misses.

With Edwards neutralized, OKC dismantled Minnesota in a 124-94 home win. That booked the Thunder’s ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.

Stat line: 15 points, four steals and four rebounds

Game 1 of the Finals is one to forget for Thunder fans. They would surely love to erase Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning jumper from their memory.

But don’t forget how good Dort was in that 111-110 home loss. He recorded 15 points, four rebounds, four steals and two blocks.

Dort knocked down five of his nine 3-point attempts, blitzed ball handlers and played with passion in what marked his Finals debut.

Stat line: Six points, three rebounds and one steal

Dort’s numbers were modest. He recorded six points, three rebounds and one steal.

So, what is this performance doing at the No. 2 spot on the list? It’s here because of the defense Dort played, especially during the fourth quarter.

OKC outscored Indiana 31-17 in the final frame to earn a 111-104 road win and tie the Finals at 2-2, and Dort set the tone. His defense was so elite that head coach Mark Daigneault singled him out after the game, and that says a lot when playing on a team filled with strong defenders.

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) celebrates after making a 3-pointer during Game 5 of the NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

Stat line: 12 points, three rebounds and one assist

For one of the first times throughout the playoffs, Paycom Center went silent.

Cheers turned into fears for OKC fans, as their team trailed Denver by nine points with 8:25 left in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals. If the Thunder lost, it would fall behind 3-2 in the series with Game 6 on the road.

But Dort wasn’t about to let that happen. He scored OKC’s next nine points by draining a trio of triples, which revived both his team and the crowd.

The Thunder ultimately outscored the Nuggets 34-19 in the fourth quarter to earn a 112-105 win. OKC then won the series in seven games, and the rest is history.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ranking Lu Dort’s best games during Thunder’s run to NBA championship?

What were Lu Dort’s best games during OKC Thunder’s run to NBA championship?

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