Dec 26, 2024 2 min read thunder game thread

Thunder, Dort look to lock down Pacers, Haliburton

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PHOTOS⚡THUNDER

Game Info: OKC (22-5) @ IND (15-15)

Tip-off: 6:00 PM | Broadcast: Local/League Pass

3⚡Big⚡Things⚡

Get primed and ready for the game, then follow @brandonrahbar and comment live below.

⚡Indiana doesn't suck?

I mean the team, not the state (obviously). The Pacers just beat the Warriors to extend their five-game winning streak and climb back to .500. After a really concerning start to the season for Tyrese Haliburton, things have evened out around some really stark splits: in wins and home games, Haliburton averages 21+ points on 41%+ three-point shooting, numbers that drop in Pacers losses (13.7 pts, 28.3% 3PA) and road games (15.3/30.9%). Indiana is an okay team that goes the way of its star facilitator, especially at home. That's Lu Dort's music.

⚡Ode to Dort

It's rude of me to jinx him with a super specific prediction feature, but it's a testament to Lu Dort's constant, suffocating defense that I can hang so much of a preview on his play. The opposition's best playmakers are getting stifled by Dort, which is kind of an important part of stifling their offense like OKC has. Dort wouldn't get away with the aggression he plays with if he didn't have 1) a well-schemed, talented defense in his backyard or 2) league officiating trends that don't put him in constant foul trouble. And while the other Thunder guards after SGA and JDub bring overlapping value to the team, none have been as valuable as Dort this year, plain and simple.

And while it is very, very difficult for me to ever fully trust in his rainbow jumpshot, the man is shooting 40.5% from three WITH MALLET FINGER. Dort hasn't won many game balls, but he's been an essential, two-way feature of the Thunder's dominance during the first third of the season.