Here's why Lu Dort will play OKC's regular-season finale against Suns

Apr 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots the ball in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

In a game being played out of necessity, the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Phoenix Suns for the 2025-26 regular-season finale. With the first seed locked up, don't expect any grand fireworks from the reigning NBA champions.

The Thunder ruled out 10 players. It was the same group that missed their 127-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday. In that game, they rolled out an eight-man rotation filled with the back-of-the-bench guys and the three two-way players.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (oblique injury management) is out. Chet Holmgren (back spasms) is out. Jalen Williams (hamstring injury management) is out. Isaiah Hartenstein (soleus injury management) is out. Cason Wallace (toe soreness) is out. Ajay Mitchell (ankle injury management) is out. Alex Caruso (rest) is out. Isaiah Joe (knee soreness) is out. Jaylin Williams (Achilles tendinitis) is out. Thomas Sorber (torn ACL) is out.

So, that's about OKC's whole NBA playoff rotation. Expect the first nine to log serious minutes in their Round 1 Game 1 matchup next weekend — against whoever it might be. But there is one longtime Thunder starter who will play in their Game 82.

Lu Dort will suit up. He's the latest character added to the NBA's weird 65-game circus rule. He still needs one more game of 20-plus minutes to gain eligibility for an All-Defense Team, an NBA spokesperson recently told Thunder Wire.

65 games played are required to qualify for the accolade. A game counts toward eligibility with 20-plus minutes logged. He has 62 of those now. A player can have up to two games played between 15:00-19:59 minutes played. He has two of those. So right now, he’s at 64.

That means expect Dort to only play the necessary 20 minutes in Sunday's finale against the Suns. Once that happens, the Thunder will pull him out for good. Similar to what happened in Denver when he only played 21 minutes and sat out for most of the second half.

Just your latest weird quirk that the new NBA rules have created. Dort made his first career All-Defense Team last season. If the Thunder have multiple representatives again, the likely candidates are Holmgren and Wallace, though. But still, worth trying to see if he can sneak onto one of the 10 spots.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Here's why Lu Dort will play OKC's regular-season finale against Suns