The Oklahoma City Thunder will again be in dire need of an offensive spark in the crucial Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.
The Thunder will be missing Ajay Mitchell due to a calf strain, and could also miss Jalen Williams for the third straight game after being deemed questionable by the Thunder’s medical staff. Williams re-aggravated a left hamstring injury in Game 2 of the series.
With their absences, the Thunder may need to find offense from Lu Dort, their defensive specialist, who has struggled mightily in the Western Conference Finals with his shot.
Lu Dort’s Struggles Against the Spurs
GettyLu Dort will be a crucial piece in Game 5.
Lu Dort has been borderline unplayable in the first four games of the Western Conference Finals due to his lack of on-ball creation and ice-cold shooting.
Across four games, he has scored just 15 points to average just 3.8 points per game in the series, where he started in all of the game.
He also shot an atrocious 2 for 9 from the 3-point line. His last made 3-pointer was in Game 2, where he chucked two triples. In the last two games, Dort shot one 3-pointer in each game.
Dort’s minutes have been reduced to under 20 minutes per game in the series due to his lack of floor spacing capabilities. The Spurs have continuously sagged off of him throughout the series, eating up driving lanes for the likes of two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who thrives on drives to the basket.
Dort must at least shoot well from the 3-point line to give the Thunder another serviceable offensive weapon in place of Mitchell and potentially Jalen Williams for Game 5.
Dort’s shot must fall to force the Spurs to be honest on their defense and allow the Thunder to get more space to operate their offense.
He has done this before, too, during Game 5 of the second round last year against the Denver Nuggets, where he drained three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Thunder stave off the Nuggets late.
On defense, he is expected to continue being a tough and rugged perimeter defender against the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper. Dort’s offense would allow Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault to trust him more on the floor to also benefit from his contributions on defense.
Additionally, shooters tend to shoot better at home. Game 5 will be played at the Paycom Center, where Dort has the crowd’s support throughout the game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Banks On Other Guys For Game 5
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will bank on other players in Game 5.
Without Williams and Mitchell, Gilgeous-Alexander will be leaning on his supporting cast in the pivotal Game 5.
“Two of our handlers, our creators are out, but guys are good off the ball, and we played a fair amount of games this year with no handlers,” he said after Game 4, where they did not have Williams and Mitchell. “So, we’re a little bit used to that. But I mean, regardless, I think it’s just a snowball effect. I think when you come out with the right energy, things like that work out and the offense has flow. And I don’t think we came out with the right energy today.”
The Game 5 winner will be one step closer to an NBA Finals appearance. The game will tip off on Tuesday night, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Bad News May Force Thunder To Look For Lu Dort To Catch Fire In Pivotal Game 5 Vs Spurs