How Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave Lou Dort her flowers for his ‘natural gift’

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s historic 40-point performance dominated Milwaukee Bucks in a 122-102 victory, but he didn’t do it alone, as a veteran Lou Dort made his presence felt at both ends of the floor. After limiting Donovan Mitchell to 5-of-18 shooting in the Thunder’s 136-104 win against the Cleveland Cavs, Dort had his hands full staying ahead of Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Without defensive tackle Jalen Williams and starting center Isaiah Hartenstein, the Thunder went small with Ajay Mitchell starting in the frontcourt and Dort deployed to Antetokounmpo, which did not disappoint. Antetokounmpo was 8-of-11, spending the night struggling for clean looks that came with plenty of resistance against the Thunder’s top-ranked defense.

After the win, Gilgeous-Alexander praised the defense establishment in Dort, who also connected on three 3-pointers on the offensive end of the floor, which helped cushion the Thunder’s double-digit lead throughout the night.

“He’s really honed in on all of his fights. He watches film, he studies it. So it worries him. He takes it personally,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s got a natural gift of physicality and foot speed that’s rare at his size. Guys his size don’t usually move as quickly laterally. So that allows him to stay in front of more dynamic guards, whether they’re small guys or bigger guys like Giannis.

“He’s still strong, able to move his feet and able to get in front of them in a lot of situations. Lou has God-given talents, and he works really hard. Put those two together and you have a really good basketball player. Not just a defender.”

Lou Dort finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 3-for-7 from deep, four rebounds, three assists and two steals against the Bucks.

“From the moment Lou entered the NBA, he had unwavering confidence,” Gilgeous-Alexander added. “Even when his percentages weren’t the best early in his career, or when his shot selection wasn’t the best, Lou always believed that when he shot, it went in. And I think that mentality is like 80 percent of the battle as a shooter, as a player.”

“And he’s got that, and he’s also worked really hard over the years to get better at his skill set in the game. He’s been through ups and downs this year with shooting and things like that. But his unwavering confidence in his ability allows him to have big nights from the court and help this team win on both ends,” Glaxy concluded.

While shooting 34.7% from behind the 3-point arc this season, Lou Dort has found his outside touch of late, connecting on a combined 11-for-20 over the last four games while shooting 40.8% from three during January.

SGA strengthens its MVP case with a 40-point performance

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing at a high levelbecoming just the second NBA player to finish with 40 points and 10+ assists while shooting at least 80% from the floor, which SGA accomplished in Wednesday’s win against the Bucks.

After the game, the Thunder coach praised Gilgeous-Alexander for dominant performance.

“He had 40 (points). He was 16 for 19. He had 11 assists. He had two turnovers. What he’s doing is not normal,” Daigneault said. “I think it looks normal. He doesn’t sweat a lot of nights, but what he’s doing is not normal. So I think it’s important to remember that. The level of efficiency depending on the level of difficulty. He sees every coverage every night, including tonight. They target guys.”

Then Gilgeous-Alexander still attacked the rim, finishing over Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo en route to an efficient 40-point, 11-assist performance with just two turnovers in 33 minutes.

“He closes games with Giannis, who is one of the best weak shot blockers of the last decade. He consistently makes very difficult overhand pulls,” Daigneault added. “With 11 assists, he had eight assists in the first half. He still mixes his aggression with the rest of the team, which activates everybody else and allows everybody else to play in rhythm. So he’s been so consistent, but tonight was pretty special. It was something else.”

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will host the Pacers on Friday.