Jan. 20, 2026, 2:15 p.m. CT
Fighting over a screen, Lu Dort committed a foul on Donovan Mitchell that was worth it. You saw a glimpse of frustration from Cleveland’s superstar. He jettisoned the ball at the OKC starter before the latter threw it right back in an impromptu game of hot potato.
The moment resulted in double technical fouls, but highlighted how awesome a defensive job he had. The Oklahoma City Thunder dissected the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 136-104 win on MLK Day.
Dort finished with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and three assists. He shot 5-of-6 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had one steal.
Amid a struggling season, this was Dort’s best outing on both sides of the floor. The outside shot has betrayed him for most of the year, but he added to one of OKC’s best games from beyond the arc. The catch-and-shoot looks rainbowed in. He made them from all over the perimeter. They needed his scoring to go up with the number of absences.
On the other end, Dort completely locked down Mitchell. He just had 19 points on 5-of-18 shooting. The 30-point scorer was mostly invisible until the game was out of hand. Uncomfortability morphed into frustration.
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The one-on-one defense returned to its peak form as Cleveland couldn’t even get to 40% from the field and had poor ball security. Even Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson had to tip his hat to the job Dort did on Mitchell.
“I mean, Lu Dort is one of the best defenders in the league,” Atkinson said. “He proved it again tonight.”
A lot has been made about Dort’s season. To the point that some wonder about his long-term future in OKC. But not today. For at least one game, he was superb on both sides of the floor. Maybe this could get the ball rolling as the Thunder deal with injuries.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has been a Dort believer since he arrived in OKC in 2019. The two have been tied to the hip as they’ve ascended in their respective fields despite the odds being stacked against them. Mitchell has historically struggled against him when Cleveland has squared off against the reigning NBA champions twice a season.
“He made him earn everything, as he always does. He was tuned up tonight and did a great job on him,” Daigneault said about Dort’s defense on Mitchell. “To have him shooting 19 shots for 18 points was really efficient for us.”