The Oklahoma City Thunder faced off against the Dallas Mavericks in front of a friendly crowd at Paycom Center on Thursday night. This marked the final matchup of their regular season series, with the Thunder looking to finish the year with a tie after losing two of their last three versus Dallas.
In the absence of Luka Doncic, the Mavericks entered Thursday's contest as a heavy 11.5-point underdog in a chippy matchup that featured 33 combined fouls between the two sides. Facing a six-point deficit in the third quarter, Oklahoma City let frustrations boil over with a blatant foul.
Sixth-year wing Lu Dort was defending Kyrie Irving, who received a screen from Daniel Gafford when Dort hit Washington below the belt as he ran past the Mavericks big man's screen. Dort was called for a foul and ejected from the game because of the dirty play.
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Fans on Reddit reacted to the play, calling Dort out for the foul.
"Lu Dort is speed running to become the next Draymond," a fan commented, comparing Dort to the Warriors forward.
"Straight palmed his b**ls wtf," another fan questioned, raising an eyebrow at the play.
"Ejected," a third fan pointed out. "OKC fans come get your boy."
Fans continued to shame Dort for the unnecessary foul.
"Lu Diddy," a fan commented.
"This brother needs help," a second fan added.
"100% intentional and should be an ejection," a third fan posted in agreement with the call.
Mavericks down Thunder behind third-quarter surge
The Mavericks went on to take down the Thunder 121-115, bouncing back from a two-game skid. Spencer Dinwiddie led the way for the Mavericks with a team-high 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting, connecting on half of his six 3-point attempts.
P.J. Washington dominated the glass for Dallas, adding 22 points on 6-of-16 shooting, grabbing a game-high 19 rebounds with three assists, three steals and two blocks in a strong individual effort. Dallas overcame 64 combined points between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Williams led all scorers with 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting, connecting on four of his eight 3-pointers. He added seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Gilgous-Alexander scored 31 points on 12-of-25 shooting, dishing out seven assists.
This win will give the Mavericks confidence entering a crucial matchup versus the Boston Celtics from Dallas on Saturday night.
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