Even if both fanbases have spent years trying to discredit the other side with mean words and disingenuous arguments, Luka Doncic and the Oklahoma City Thunder have mutual respect. Both have had a long history together that included a heated playoff series — that remains even if the former has switched teams.
Doncic led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 126-99 win over the Thunder on Sunday. It was the first of two straight games against the West’s top seed. Setting the tone early, he hunted Isaiah Hartenstein and cooked him in the perimeter with demoralizing stepback 3-pointers.
Since being shockingly traded to the Lakers, Doncic needed time to adjust. The mixture of returning from a long-term injury and adjusting to a new life and team took a handful of games to get used to. Back on the familiar OKC City Edition, the 26-year-old returned to his dominant ways.
After destroying the Thunder, Doncic spoke highly of the winning machine. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will likely take home the MVP trophy and OKC will enter the playoffs as a title favorite despite a two-game losing skid.
“Shai I think is an unbelievable player. He makes them look like they’re an incredible team and they are,” Doncic said. “Second, I think is their defense. They have a lot of guys that can guard 1-5, they can switch, they can control the game with their defense. They have a lot of weapons.”
One of those weapons is Lu Dort. Both players are very familiar with each other. Doncic has been on the record for years about how highly he thinks of him as a defender. It looks like the rest of the NBA has finally caught up as he will likely make his first All-Defensive Team and has received whispers of being a Defensive Player of the Year winner.
There’s no stopping Doncic. All an opposing team can do is hope to limit him. Dort did that in last year’s playoff series between the Thunder and Mavericks. It was one of Doncic’s worst playoff series as he had to earn his buckets.
“It brings the competitive spirit out of me. It brings the best out of me,” Doncic said on facing Dort. “Going against Lu Dort, it’s a tough job. He’s one of the best defenders in the NBA. It brings the motive to try and win the game.”
Both sides will be tied to the hip for the foreseeable future. If the Thunder are to win a championship, they’ll likely need to slay Doncic in the playoffs. It didn’t happen last year, so maybe they can finally overcome that obstacle this year if the Lakers match up against them in the playoffs.