How did Lu Dort create havoc on Brandon Ingram in Thunder's Game 1 win vs. Pelicans?
Sunday’s Game 1 between the Thunder and Pelicans was barely 10 seconds old when Brandon Ingram realized what he was up against.
He struggled on the baseline, trying to free himself from a human bear trap. Lu Dort, OKC’s all-world defender, was attached to him. They locked arms, with Ingram trying to juke his way out of the cell.
He hadn’t even touched the ball yet.
When he finally did, Dort remained, and Ingram only had a handful of seconds to work with. Ingram was put in these positions all night, essentially asked to cut the red or blue wire with an alarm blaring in his face. It’s the treatment most first options receive from Dort, which Ingram was immediately thrust into being with Zion Williamson out.
OKC’s own Tasmanian Dort delivered a complete night of havoc. Bodying Ingram up, breaking up actions, bumping him off drives, flying to contest with his arms straight up like an uncomfortable mannequin.
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“My main thing for me is just to be physical and to make everything tough,” Dort said. “I'm trying to do everything to get over a screen and just really stay in front of him.”
At times, when Dort couldn’t possibly be glued to Ingram the way he hoped, he did just enough bumping and stalling for rookie Chet Holmgren to slide from the help side and swipe at a desperate attempt. Even in rotation, Dort found ways to headbutt Ingram’s shooting hand.
But there was hardly any switching, because few were better prepared for bracing for revolving screens than Dort. He defended Ingram for 37.5 partial possessions through nearly nine minutes of being matched up in OKC’s 94-92 win Sunday. In that time, Ingram shot 1 for 7 and committed two turnovers.
Ingram’s lone bucket on Dort came with under four minutes to play on a less-than-easy transition opportunity. With the two essentially left to rival each other at the rim, Dort timed Ingram’s gather to leap with him vertically. Ingram extended as far as his lanky limbs allowed, almost flexing a pose from a Julius Erving poster to perfectly lay the ball in.
On others, Ingram airballed, shot off one foot or begrudgingly shot leaning mid-range jumpers.
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Thunder coach Mark Daigneault lauded his group on Monday for its switchability. Cason Wallace, who’d been targeted by CJ McCollum on the final couple possessions, sealed the game with a stop. Kenrich Williams helped set the tone with a late first-quarter possession against Ingram that provided a window into his night. Jalen Williams appeared more than capable.
But players like Ingram lick their chops at the rotations that come with botched switches, at the possibilities that can open with anything less than superb switching. Especially when the choice is Dort or the field.
No one defended Ingram remotely as long as Dort (8:41), with Jalen Williams being a distant second (4:02). Much of that was to offset any successive fouls or to alternate looks. Ingram used a couple of those possessions to speed past pick-and-rolls and get to tough shots that wouldn’t fall on Dort. Windows that were closed around him.
Before OKC can win a series on the margins — prioritizing which shots to allow, focusing on the rebounding battle — it has to limit New Orleans’ top scoring options to a degree. Without Williamson, having Dort torment Ingram is pivotal. Luckily for the Thunder, Dort has prepared himself for this moment for five seasons.
“This is what I trained for,” Dort said. “I've been doing this my whole career now.”
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Game 2: Thunder vs. Pelicans
TIPOFF: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Paycom Center (TNT, Bally Sports Oklahoma)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder vs Pelicans: How Lu Dort locked down Brandon Ingram in Game 1
