With the final 21 seconds winding down, Kawhi Leonard had a chance to hit the game-winning basket. Trailing by one point, Leonard took the ball and let the fate of the game be decided by his hands.
Instead, what transpired was a 21-second defensive masterclass by Lu Dort, who shut down the opposition’s best player and forced a bad miss that wouldn’t have counted even if it had gone in. Leonard couldn’t shake Dort on the final possession of the game despite several screen attempts.
Dort was locked into his matchup with Leonard and was going to fight over every screen the Clippers set. He wanted the game to come down to his defense.
The tireless stop forced Leonard to throw up a heave milliseconds after the final buzzer sounded. For 21.2 seconds, Dort mirrored every Leonard move.
In a critical game with massive playoff ramifications, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the first of two consecutive games against the LA Clippers, 101-100. The win also helped the Thunder reach .500 for the first time this season since starting 4-4.
“That’s why we love him,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on Dort’s stop. “He’s some player and some competitor and he rises in those types of situations.”
What was going through Dort’s mind in those final 21 seconds that must’ve felt like an eternity?
“Just get a stop,” Dort said following the win. “Kawhi had a good game. He had it going. I knew the ball was going to be in his hand at the end of the game so I just had to get a stop.”
A slow start saw the Thunder trail the Clippers 18-4, but after that opening punch, it was a more competitive, back-and-forth matchup the rest of the way. The Thunder responded with a 19-4 run of their own to conclude the wild first quarter with a 23-22 lead.
After falling behind, 18-4, the Thunder outscored the Clippers, 52-33, the rest of the way in the first half. At halftime, the Thunder held a five-point lead.
The Clippers made it interesting in the second half; they outscored the Thunder, 49-45, but the Thunder held on for the road victory.
If you prefer high-scoring affairs, this game wasn’t for you. The Thunder shot 39-of-93 (41.9%) from the field and 10-of-37 (27%) from 3. The Clippers shot better overall, 41-of-86 (47.7%), but were equally ugly from 3 at 6-of-31 (19.4%) shooting.
The Thunder were led by the duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, who combined to score 51 points on 20-of-40 shooting from the field.
Meanwhile, the Clippers were led by their star duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Leonard finished with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting, six rebounds and five assists. George had 18 points on 9-of-17 shooting before leaving in the fourth quarter due to a leg injury.
Former Thunder guard Russell Westbrook also contributed for the Clippers as he finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Westbrook also played admirable defense against Gilgeous-Alexander during stretches of the game.
Following George’s injury, the Thunder went on a 6-2 run to grab a 97-93 lead with under three minutes to go.
This was a massive, massive win for the Thunder to kick off this season-defining four-game road trip. With the win, the Thunder are now just half a game back from the sixth seed — which means there’s a very real possibility OKC skips the Play-In tournament entirely.
The Thunder will only have a short period of time to celebrate their third consecutive win against the Clippers as they play them once again on Thursday.
It will be the final game of the four-game season series between the teams. George’s availability for the game is unknown; he needed help to exit the court.
Obviously, if George misses a significant amount of time, it could cause a huge ripple effect for both this season and beyond depending on the severity of the injury.
“Sending the whole team and organization thoughts to Paul George,” Daigneault said. “He was here. Great person. We hope he’s OK.”
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
These are the games superstars are asked to do the most, and that’s exactly what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did in this one-point win.
After a slow start in which Gilgeous-Alexander was swarmed by Leonard and George — two of the greatest defenders of this era — he adjusted.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 12-of-25 shooting and went 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. He added seven rebounds and four assists.
With the Clippers mounting a comeback, Gilgeous-Alexander’s third quarter kept the Thunder in it as he scored 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
With his team needing a bucket to create some space on the scoreboard, Gilgeous-Alexander spun his way into a four-foot layup that gave the Thunder a three-point lead with 1:05 left in the game.
While the efficiency wasn’t where it usually is, 31 points on 25 shots is an excellent outing considering the low-scoring nature of this game. Gilgeous-Alexander had an eventful night filled with highlight finishes around the rim.
These things just happen for SGA ✨@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/pBhjFGwxwO
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 22, 2023
Tough takes downhill😤 pic.twitter.com/KLhhnA4bb8
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
Jalen Williams: A-plus
With 3:18 left, Jalen Williams found an open lane to the basket and threw down one of the loudest jams of his dunk-heavy season to give the Thunder the two-point lead.
An emphatic dunk felt like the seismic shift of this game.
Despite it not reflecting on the scoreboard, the energy surrounding this game changed after that J-Dub dunk. More importantly, though, Williams played phenomenally as the second-best player for OKC in this monumental win.
Williams finished with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, 2-of-4 shooting from 3 and eight rebounds.
There was substantial buzz following the game on Twitter: Prominent NBA media members sounded off on how Williams is making a late serious push for Rookie of the Year.
Games like these in which the NBA world is watching will certainly help his case.
Youthful lift off! 🛫@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/5SO2T2L4XM
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
Backdoor was left open! 🔨 pic.twitter.com/hqisgdHGUB
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
Old school finish off the glass😮💨 pic.twitter.com/kWVEoo8YGf
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
Lu Dort: A
To start the game, Lu Dort was the most scrutinized player on the team by Thunder fans. By the end of the game, he was the most praised.
Such is the Dort experience.
Dort finished with seven points on 3-of-11 shooting and went 1-of-8 from 3. It was a cold start for Dort as he started off 0-of-5 from 3.
But just like hitting a game-winner, all of that can be erased if you can step up when it matters most. That’s what Dort did when he forced Kawhi Leonard to put up a bad shot on the final possession in this one-point win.
What makes it even sweeter is the ball didn’t leave Leonard’s hand until after the final buzzer sounded! This means if Leonard somehow had made the miraculous heave, it wouldn’t have counted.
Fighting through screens and not letting Leonard gain leverage, Dort stuck to him throughout the 21 seconds.
“That was some possession because he took multiple attempts at drives,” Daigneault said about Dort’s defense. “Not surprising, he’s done it many times before.”
With literal game-changing possessions like that, it’s easier to understand why the Thunder stick by Dort despite the inconsistent shooting and subpar finishing.
Dorture Chamber clamped down on defense! 😤 pic.twitter.com/D0oKTyVFnQ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
Sharing the rock! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/pQWWCEQRV4
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
Finding the gaps! 💪 pic.twitter.com/IF8apg5dM8
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
Isaiah Joe: A
Needing bench production, Isaiah Joe stepped up with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting and 2-of-8 shooting from 3. Joe tied with Olivier Sarr for the best plus-minus on the Thunder at a plus-8.
When the Thunder needed scoring in the second quarter, Joe provided seven points and showed he’s more than an outside shooting threat as the Clippers forced him to create his own offense with surprisingly good results.
Joe’s biggest bucket was his last one — as he gave the Thunder the 93-93 tie with 4:01 left.
Matching up against Leonard following a Dort slip screen, the 3-point sniper swished in a 20-foot step-back jumper that flashed his handles.
Quite the bucket to put on your resume for someone who was let go by the Philadelphia 76ers in training camp.
Joe steps back on the fade! 🧈 pic.twitter.com/InC2uZ4EgC
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
Zai draws the charge! pic.twitter.com/lJKwDpCdL7
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
🗣: PROFESSIONAL BUCKET GETTER@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/zDQARfvV8g
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 22, 2023
Creating space for an opportunity! pic.twitter.com/bDIJPOyGcE
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
Olivier Sarr: B
I usually stick with just four player grades after games, but with how massive this win was, I’ll make the exception and add a fifth.
It would’ve felt criminal to type 1,000-plus words and not mention Olivier Sarr’s performance.
With Jaylin Williams in foul trouble — as he picked up four in his 11 minutes — Daigneault went with the surprising move to give Sarr early minutes. In fact, this game marked the first time Sarr has checked into the first quarter this season.
With the Thunder needing size against the Clippers, the two-way player provided quality minutes. In 19 minutes off the bench, Sarr finished with four points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Following the Thunder’s 18-4 deficit, Sarr checked into the game and helped ignite a 19-4 OKC run. In his six first-quarter minutes, Sarr was a plus-15.
When Sarr was on the floor, the Thunder outscored the Clippers by eight points.
This is why the NBA is awesome. Who would’ve thought a center who’s barely played this season would’ve played such a pivotal role in this most important win of the season for OKC.
Backdoor was left open! 🔨 pic.twitter.com/hqisgdHGUB
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 22, 2023
