Throughout the course of the NBA Playoffs, The Athletic’s NBA Data Analyst, Seth Partnow, will provide his expertise to analyze the things that stand out most to him from the previous day’s slate. You can find his Analytical Lookarounds here.
Luguentz Dort has changed the complexion of the Oklahoma City-Houston series. I’m generally loathe to describe such things mono-causally, but in Game 1, which Dort sat with a knee injury, James Harden was untouchable, scoring 37 with a blistering 72.5 percent True Shooting, using 36.5 percent of Rockets’ possessions, leading in large part to a gargantuan 133.3 Offensive Rating with Harden on the floor.
After Dort recovered in time to start Game 2, he assumed the lion’s share of responsibility for checking Harden:
James Harden Defenders RD 1 vs OKC
In Games 2, 3 and 4, Harden has still averaged 30.3, but his True Shooting Percentage has dropped to a more…