Thunder’s Lou Dort talks about his confrontation with the officials in the loss against the Mavericks

In the first quarter Oklahoma City Thunder‘s 106-98 loss to Dallas Mavericks, Lou Dort received a technical foul for flopping before being hit with an unsportsmanlike technical foul in the second. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cut from the All-Star, Jalen Williams has become a focal point for Mavericks’ defensive approach. At the same time, Dort got into it twice with the officials.

After defeat, Dort addressed exchange during his availability after the game.

“Just some disagreements.” That’s it,” Dort said. “(He) felt like I was over the top, which is fine. He called the technician. That will happen. He is in the heat of the game. It’s a competitive spirit. I was just warming up. And he felt like I deserved the technique and he gave it to me.”

Dort didn’t see it the same way the officials did. Tensions were high in the Thunder’s matchup against the Mavs, the team that knocked them out of the second round of last year’s playoffs.

“We were just competing out there. Everyone looks out for each other. “If you see a man down there, you have to go in there and help him,” Dort added. “That’s exactly what we did.” It’s just a competition. Two good teams working at it and competing.

Anyway, Oklahoma City fought back by erasing a 20-point deficit, but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter.

“It wasn’t hard,” Dort said. “I could just see what kind of game it was going to be, honestly. I just had to play my game and not think about the referee. Sometimes, the referee can make a mistake or whatever. I just have to get through it. I didn’t let it affect me and my game. I think those were my two fouls the whole game.”

Physicality played a significant role in the Thunder-Mavs matchup. Next Thursday, Lou Dort and the Thunder will face Dallas in a rematch at the Pike Center.

Jalen Williams is honest about the Mavericks defense

Thunder forward Jaylen Williams received first-option treatment from the Mavericks on Friday. Thunder head coach Marc Daigneault praised his team for the comeback in the second half as Williams adjusted to coverages thrown at him.

Williams discovered it was the heaviest coverage in his three NBA seasons.

“Tonight was probably the toughest of them all … different coverage tonight, which was good,” Williams said. “It allowed me to read the game and understand the game. So I’m definitely not going to take those opportunities for granted.”

The Thunder will face the Nets on Sunday.