Lu Dort Explains Collision With Ja Morant in OKC Thunder's Comeback Win

There were plenty of incredible storylines to come out of Thursday night’s Thunder win in Memphis. Oklahoma City had a handful of heroes step up, and the highlight plays were endless. It was the second-largest comeback in NBA history, as the Thunder came back from 29 points down.

The one play the everyone is still talking about, one day later, is the play where Ja Morant was injured. Morant’s teammate, Scotty Pippen Jr., passed up an open layup to give Morant a look at a highlight slam. After the behind-the-back dish, Morant received the ball and tried to take off for the dunk. Because Lu Dort was ahead of Morant, trying to block Pippen, he was caught in the way of Morant’s dunk attempt. Dort slipped, as Morant tumbled in midair down to the court. It looked like a viscous fall, and Dort was the only Thunder player in sight.

Dort’s tenacity, physicality, and unrelenting hustle has pinned him into some pretty dicey situations this season. If you watch Dort on a routine basis, it’s clear that none of his motives are malicious. His effort to finish plays on both ends of the floor and never stop until he hears the whistle can sometimes rub opposing fanbases the wrong way.

After Thursday’s game, Dort addressed the situation, obviously noting it was accidental and he had the chance to apologize.

“Tough one,” Dort said. “Obviously I hope he’s OK. I was running back, making a hustle play for my team. I was running quick, he stopped on a dime and I didn’t know he was behind me. I was slipping, I tried to make a play on the ball, but we just ran into each other, and he fell down. But I hope he's OK. I didn't mean to hit him like that."

“When he was at the line, I dapped him up and apologized, obviously. It’s never good when a good player like that goes down.

The play was reviewed for a hostile act, but was deemed a common foul. Dort’s momentum shifting from Pippen to Morant, and slipping in the process, made it clear that it was an accident.

Oklahoma City's head coach Mark Daigneault understands Dort's mentality and intentions, and he stood up for his player following the incident. He also paid respect to Morant, noting that the injury changed the game.

“I never want to see anybody get hurt." Daigneault said. "I hope he's okay, but you want everybody to be at full strength. He's a great competitor. He was playing great. Obviously, that had something to do with the game as well. Would be wrong of me not to acknowledge that, but I think it was a clean play. I think everybody was just playing hard. It’s unfortunate."

Morant's status for Game 4 is unknown, but it's a massive bummer either way. His injury opened up the path for Oklahoma City to complete one of the greatest playoff comebacks of all time, and a 3-0 hole feels insurmountable for Memphis.