Thunder's Lu Dort addresses his clash with officials in loss vs Mavericks

01/18/2025 04:12 PM

In the first quarter of the Oklahoma City Thunder's 106-98 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, Lu Dort received a technical foul for flopping before he was hit with an unsportsmanlike technical foul in the second quarter.

With All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ruled out, Jalen Williams became the focal point for the Mavericks' defensive approach. At the same time, Dort got into it with the officials twice.

After the loss, Dort addressed the exchange during his postgame availability.

"Just some disagreements. That's it," Dort said. "[He] felt like I said something excessive to him, which is OK. He called a tech. It's going to happen; it's in the heat of the game; it's a competitive spirit. I was just out there heating up. And he felt like I deserved a tech and gave me one."

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

"We were just competing out there. Everybody's got each other's back. If you see a man down, you got to go in there and help him," Dort added. "That's just what we did. It's just competition. Two good teams going at it and competing.

Either way, Oklahoma City fought back by wiping out a 20-point deficit but came up short in the fourth quarter.

"It wasn't tough," 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 even think about the ref. Sometimes, the ref can make mistakes or whatever. I just have to play through it; I didn't let that affect me and my game; I think that was my two fouls the whole game."

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

Jalen Williams' honest take on the Mavericks' defense

Thunder forward Jalen Williams received the first-option treatment from the Mavericks on Friday. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault commended his team for its comeback in the second half, while Williams adjusted to the coverages thrown at him.

Williams revealed it was the heaviest coverage received amid his three NBA seasons.

"Tonight was probably the heaviest that it's been… different coverages tonight, which was good," Williams said. "It allowed me to read the game and figure the game out. So I'm definitely not going to take those opportunities for granted."

Jalen Williams on facing the #Mavs defense without SGA:

"Tonight was probably the heaviest that it's been… different coverages tonight, which was good. It allowed me to read the game and figure the game out. So, I'm definitely not going to take those opportunities for granted" pic.twitter.com/5eY6MksONX

— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) January 18, 2025

The Thunder will face the Nets on Sunday.

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