How Thunder won the Jamal Murray matchup — and ultimately a critical Game 4 vs. Nuggets

DENVER — Hours earlier than the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder’s 92-87 Recreation 4 win, whereas gamers had been on the ground with coaches engaged on the mechanical points of their particular person video games, Thunder guard Lu Dort might be discovered slumped in a courtside seat, poring over defensive movie with Thunder assistant David Akinyooye.

This season, Dort made a acutely aware shift in his pregame routine. NBA gamers are creatures of behavior, and it’s commonplace to see them heat up on the court docket earlier than retreating to sift by a number of recreation clips, if in any respect. However Dort flipped it, opting to train his mind earlier than touching a basketball.

Dort, as Oklahoma Metropolis’s most dynamic defender, must consistently sharpen his thoughts. And whereas his offensive contributions had been a giant a part of their historic 68-win common season, it’s Dort’s significance on the different finish of the ground that explains why a lot consideration must be paid to the best of particulars. On this collection, which is now tied at 2-2, Dort’s main, secondary and tertiary goal is to decelerate Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray.

With eight seasons and 5 postseason campaigns below his belt, Murray, 28, has established himself as an elite ballhandler, reliable scorer and playoff riser — and an integral a part of Denver’s success. Nikola Jokić is arguably the perfect basketball participant on the planet, however the true measure of the Nuggets’ greatness is amplified when he and Murray are working in tandem, capable of feed off one another’s strengths.

Dort has made a profession of chasing premier perimeter gamers round. In accordance with Bball-Index, Dort ranked within the 99th percentile this season in time spent defending Tier 1 utilization gamers and the 96th percentile in time spent defending Tier 2 varieties.

However with Murray, the duty is completely different, and there’s a private issue that lends to Dort’s particular person research. Each gamers frolicked with the Canadian nationwide group final 12 months, with Dort recalling an especially aggressive coaching camp earlier than the Paris Olympics. Due to Murray’s significance to Staff Canada, the 26-year-old Dort needed to tone down his aggressiveness and physicality when defending Murray in observe. Over a number of weeks collectively, nevertheless, Dort says he was capable of “pick up on nuances” and a few of Murray’s habits.

“Just competitive basketball,” Murray mentioned. “We might know each other a little bit, but it’s a fun matchup.”

Earlier than Recreation 3, Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman mentioned the significance of dislodging Dort from Murray’s airspace, citing the necessity for “legal hits” on the Thunder because it pertained to ball screens. When accomplished accurately, Denver may use its physicality to power Dort off Murray and discover him a extra favorable matchup. Per Bball-Index, Dort is a 99th-percentile isolation defender and ball-screen navigator. The Nuggets, who depend on a plethora of Jokić/Murray two-man actions by way of screens, need Dort as distant from Murray as potential.

“It’s been like that all year; it’s not just Denver,” Dort instructed The Athletic. “I know I’m a good defender and disturb a lot of (opposing teams’) main guys. Whenever I’m off their main guy’s body, it’s good for them.”

When executed correctly, like on this Recreation 3 possession beneath, the Nuggets can unlock Murray, permitting him to work in house with the specter of Dort negated. Dort didn’t even see Christian Braun’s body coming and ran proper into it, placing Murray on Isaiah Hartenstein and giving him full management. In accordance with Synergy monitoring knowledge — which counts direct actions, not delayed ones — Denver’s screens compelled Dort to change off Murray on six completely different possessions, with the Nuggets scoring 12 factors.

“It’s nothing we’re not used to,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault mentioned earlier than Recreation 4. “Teams make a priority to get Lu off of their guy for obvious reasons. We see that almost every night. There’s different ways teams try to do that. Denver shifted to more off-ball stuff last game, but we switched some of them, depending on who else is involved. There are solutions we have. It’s obviously a priority for Denver, so it’s a priority for us.”

Oklahoma Metropolis rewrote the script Sunday afternoon, utilizing the Nuggets’ penchant for screening in opposition to them. One of many underlying storylines from this collection has been how two nice offensive groups try to out-scheme one another, and the Nuggets try to run performs for Murray later within the shot clock, permitting another person to both deliver the ball up the ground or deal with it initially. (For what it’s price, the Thunder employed an identical technique with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.)

Due to Dort’s preliminary ball stress, Murray tried to evade utilizing a Jokić display however was met by Hartenstein, hanging across the nail in a delicate drop protection, and Alex Caruso, who gives a slight stunt — ignoring Russell Westbrook, who shot simply 2 of 9 from 3 in Recreation 4.

Watch how Jokić tried to rescreen for Murray, however Dort was nimble sufficient to bounce by contact, refusing to let go. With the shot clock winding down, Murray was compelled to dare to tackle Dort in isolation, attempting to bump him to no avail. As a lot movie as Dort watches on Murray and his actions, he research the screener as effectively. Every thing works in tandem.

“Just reading the game,” Dort mentioned. “Knowing how well the player I’m guarding is doing on the court. Watching film on the screener, it’s a big part. And honestly, just having my feet moving the whole time. It’s easier to anticipate when my feet are moving.”

A superb signal of an elite defender is greater than the pictures you’re capable of contest — it’s those that by no means even get an opportunity to develop. Aaron Gordon, who has made some extent this collection to try to match Dort’s physicality, was known as for a pair of offensive fouls in Recreation 4, lunging into Dort’s chest attempting to take away him from Murray’s field of regard.

Murray, who completed Recreation 4 with 4 turnovers and scored 17 factors on 15 pictures, was merely unable to get right into a rhythm. Dort is simply too sturdy, too fast for screens to mitigate his affect (only a few gamers can bounce off Jokić’s physique like that and nonetheless have their footing), and his timing is impeccable.

Simply have a look at this possession.

In accordance with NBA.com monitoring knowledge over Video games 1 and a pair of, Dort matched up with Murray for 13 minutes, holding him to simply 4-of-12 taking pictures and a pair of turnovers. So long as Dort and the Thunder can keep an identical stage of manufacturing, they’ll proceed to search out their footing after an vital win on Mom’s Day.

“He’s a great player,” Daigneault mentioned of Murray. “It’s really hard in the playoffs, for everybody, and there’s nothing convenient about these games. It tests your will as a player. We’re trying to utilize the strength of our team to try and slow them down.”

Because the Thunder head again residence, with momentum again on their facet in what’s now a best-of-three collection, there’s a definite psychological benefit that Dort’s poise and management possess. There have been different playoff matchups the place basketball has seemingly been secondary at occasions (suppose Rockets-Warriors, the place the video games grew to become as a lot concerning the antics, confrontation and extracurriculars than anything). However with Dort, it’s unimaginable to learn past his stoic demeanor. When he takes the ground to boos from Ball Area, each fingers are in his pockets, cool as a fan. Dort is aware of the matchup with Murray can simply go one other course, particularly in a good collection, however his calmness prevails. The absence of antics could make him much less of a public determine, however that’s not why he’s right here.

“I think it’s because I’m not a villain,” Dort mentioned of his lack of recognition. “I’m not a guy that goes out there trash-talking and being loud. I do my job and move on. Even though I know they’re mad and having a bad game, I’m not gonna let them know that.”

Daigneault’s guess pays off

As ugly as Recreation 4 was at occasions, the Thunder could very effectively have been headed residence down 3-1 had it not been for a daring transfer by coach Daigneault in the beginning of the fourth quarter.

With Oklahoma Metropolis slowly however certainly dropping its grip on the sport, trailing 69-63, the Thunder trotted out a lineup of Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams and Hartenstein. Through the common season, that group performed simply 12 minutes collectively, however within the playoffs, that has been the Thunder’s second-most used lineup, and the outcomes — a whopping plus-47.9 in internet score earlier than Sunday — have been staggering.

In a three-minute span, Oklahoma Metropolis’s offensive score jumped to an astronomical 225.0 with a stingy 80.0 defensive score. The key? Well timed flooring spacing offered by Wallace and Wiggins, who hit six 3s on Sunday. Prior to now two video games, the Thunder haven’t shot the ball effectively from deep (mixed 19-of-76 from 3), which is dangerous in opposition to a Nuggets group clogging up the center. Daigneault leaned on his group’s depth as a consequence of a brief turnaround, they usually’ll want these two to proceed to contribute heading into Recreation 5.

(Photograph of Lu Dort and Jamal Murray: Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Pictures)