Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic Reveals Personal Top 3 Best NBA Defenders List, Including Teammate

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Rex Villas | Last updated 5/8/24

Before Wednesday’s series-opener featuring the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mavs star Luka Doncic shared his top three best perimeter defenders in the league today. One of the names he mentioned was Thunder guard Lu Dort, whom the Slovenian superstar will see a lot over the next several days.

It is also intriguing to see Doncic pick Derrick Jones Jr., his teammate with the Mavs as one of the top defenders away from the basket.

Via Tim MacMahon of ESPN:

Luka Doncic says Lu Dort is in the “top three” perimeter defenders in the league. Who else cracks that list? Doncic says Jrue Holiday and Mavs teammate Derrick Jones Jr.

Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic Felt the Lu Dort Effect in Game 1 vs. Thunder

Dort is always going to be a primary weapon of the Thunder against Doncic, and he had success right away in the series. With Dort matching up defensively against Doncic, the Mavericks’ scoring machine was only able to put up 19 points on an inefficient 6/19 shooting from the floor and hit only one of eight attempts from the 3-point region. Doncic also struggled with ball security as he turned the leather over five times.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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