Luguentz Dort Headlines OKC's Stellar Shooting Performance

The Oklahoma City Thunder showcased a rare shooting masterclass that hasn’t been present in recent games. 

OKC came into Monday’s matchup with a chip on its shoulder after losing a close bout to Miami in its previous game. The Thunder showed once again why they’re the best team in the league as they dismantled the Cavaliers in a 136-104 blowout win that showed how elite Oklahoma City’s shooting can be.

The Thunder shot an astounding 56% from the floor and an even more impressive 49% from beyond the arc. OKC has struggled this season shooting the ball, especially from three. They have only shot 35.8% from beyond the arc this year and have struggled to find a rhythm from deep consistently. 

Luckily, this was not the case for the Thunder on Monday, and especially wasn’t the case for Luguentz Dort. Dort had his best and most efficient offensive game of the season Monday night as he scored a season high 18 points on just seven shots. 

Dort shot 85.7% from the floor and 83.3% from three, as he sank five of the six shots he took from deep. This has been a rare sight from Dort this season, but a sight that the Thunder have missed from the veteran guard. 

Dort has had a down year, shooting 38.8% from the field and 32.8% from three. This kind of shooting production is unlike Dort, as the only season he has shot worse from three was his rookie year. However, nights like Monday show that he still has the capability to be the sharpshooter he has been in the past. 

Dort was one of, if not the best, three point shooter during OKC’s championship season last year, as he shot 41.2% from deep. However, his lack of three-point production has caused OKC to be without one of its deadliest shooters and has caused a problem in multiple games. 

Dort has still found a way to be useful in his shooting slump as the All-NBA defensive selection has continued his lockdown defense night after night. He made Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell’s night tough, as he held the Cavs leading scorer to just 19 points. 

Oklahoma City has found ways to continue to win games even without great shooting performances. However, if the Thunder can start to lean on Dort once again for his three-point shooting ability, OKC will become even more dangerous than they already are.

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