It seemed written in advance… and it was. Luguentz Dort scored the first basket of the game for the Oklahoma City Thunder; a three-point shot, the success of which was celebrated brilliantly from end to end, and from top to bottom, at the Bell Centre.
“My teammates, from the beginning, were always telling me, ‘We’re going to give you the ball.’” I think I took the first five shots of the game! », Launched the Quebecer after the meeting.
Dort scored his team’s first five points; It was the start of a great evening of 24 points for him in front of his crowd.
“His” crowd, yes, because the Bell Center only had love for Dort and the Thunder in this preparatory meeting. In fact, it was like a home game… But 1,500 miles from said home – even the team’s mascot, Rumble, was coveted for autographs.
Before the duel, a few minutes before the first jump ball, Dort appeared on the field, microphone in hand. When the almost sold-out Bell Center gave him an ovation, he smiled broadly and placed his hand on his heart.
After the game, Dort appeared in front of the media with a Canadiens jersey and a Montreal Alouettes jersey on each shoulder. It was enough to look at his smile to understand his happiness. He admitted that the crowd’s ovation for him “almost made [him] shed a little tear.”
“It moved me, though. It feels good. All the work I have done in my life to represent my city… The fact that I played today in Montreal was really nice. »
At mid-game, the Thunder led 74-58. He had widened his gap little by little, dominating the Pistons who were often overwhelmed. Except that the latter never gave up… They came from behind in the last two quarters, sowing doubt in the Bell Center.
The least we can say is that fans were treated to a thrilling end to the match for this annual duel in Montreal. With two minutes left, it was tied 119-119.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t put his best players on the court late in the game; after all, preparatory duels also serve to evaluate and test. Dort would have liked to go back…
“I was watching the coach the whole time. I said, ‘Coach, if you need me, I’m here, right,'” he joked.
It remains that the Quebecer’s 24 points in 24 minutes deserve to be highlighted. Daigneault also mentioned his player’s improvement on the offensive level. “Right now he has a mentality where he wants to do whatever it takes to win,” he summarized.
The other star of the evening, Ontario’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, scored 12 points. Asked about the multiple passes he and his teammates directed toward Dort early in the game, he smiled. “I know what it’s like to play house. […] We wanted him to fully enjoy the moment. I think he did. »
It was the seventh time since 2012 that the NBA presented a preseason game at the Bell Center. Once again, Montreal basketball fans responded in large numbers; free benches were rare. Several members of the Montreal Canadiens, including Cole Caufield, Arber Xhekaj and Martin St-Louis, also attended, with pride of place on the sidelines.
Mark Daigneault had not yet sat down in his chair at the press conference when he was already thanking Montreal and its supporters.
“It’s a historic amphitheater that we are honored to play in,” said the head coach. The crowd was incredible tonight. They circled their arms around both teams. What fun it was to play in that environment! »
And what does he think of the idea of having an NBA team in Montreal one day? “We love it when they take for us! »
Luguentz Dort, for his part, wished his Quebec counterparts in the NBA who have not yet had the chance to play in Montreal one day to experience what he experienced.
“It’s something unforgettable, honestly. I did not expect that. We feel the love. »