But for his effort on the defensive end of the floor, Lu has set personal goals he hopes to achieve this season, per Sports Illustraded’s Chris Mannix. “The biggest goal is to go out there and perform every night for my teammates.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and nine assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 21-point deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 115-101 on Wednesday night. Jalen Williams scored 18 points and Lu Dort added 17 for the Thunder,

The 30-year-old swingman will revert back to his normal role off the bench with Luguentz Dort returning to game action. Over his last five outings off the bench, Caruso has averaged 7.0 points, 3.6 assists,

Lu to friends, teammates and frustrated opponents who grumble after matchups with one of the NBA’s top defenders—was ready for his moment. Dort, who exited Arizona State after his freshman season, had traveled to New York for the NBA draft.

SI: You’re trying to win a championship. But do you have individual goals? First team All-Defense? Defensive Player of the Year? Lugentz Dort: Honestly, the biggest goal is to go out there and

Oklahoma City Thunder veteran guard Lu Dort has spent his entire six-year career with the same team. The Thunder's longest-tenured guard has seen the lowly Oklahoma City squad come from the bottom of the Western Conference standings to NBA title contenders.

Now that Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is out of the running, multiple NBA stars are in contention for Defensive Player of the Year. Lu Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder believes he has what it takes to earn the coveted end-of-year prize and spoke about it on the “Open Floor” podcast.

The Wolves' Naz Reid drives against Oklahoma City's Luguentz Dort during the first half Thursday. (Abbie Parr/The Associated Press)

Held in check

Dort racked up 17 points (7-10 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two rebounds, one assist, one block and three steals over 32 minutes during Wednesday's 115-101 win over the Heat. Dort has scored in double digits in three of his last five appearances,

"Whoever don't feel OKC, I feel sorry for your loss, 'cause they're going to the NBA Finals," said "Big Perk." This team checks all the boxes. They have SGA bona fide superstar, who can be the best player in any seven game series against any other player in the league.