Thunder center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is getting back in groove for OKC after ankle injury

PORTLAND, Ore. — Jeremiah Robinson-Earl returned Feb. 13 from a severe ankle sprain that cost him two months, but the Thunder center hadn’t looked back, actually back, until Friday night in Los Angeles.

Robinson-Earl scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the Thunder’s 116-111 loss to the Lakers. It was his highest scoring output since Dec. 3, and easily his best all-around game since the ankle sprain.

“I missed out on what I love doing the most,” Robinson-Earl said Sunday of his time away. “You can’t take it for granted because you don’t know when it can be taken away from you.”

Robinson-Earl and fellow sophomore Tre Mann have had similar seasons in that both have seen their roles dwindle, getting passed by new additions like Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams.

“We just know it’s a grind,” Robinson-Earl said. “If it was easy, everybody would do it.”

Robinson-Earl was asked if his game against the Lakers gave him a confidence boost.

“Everything leading up to that moment is what’s helped me,” Robinson-Earl said, “not necessarily just that moment alone.”

Robinson-Earl was a plus-eight, scoring five points in his 13 minutes off the bench Sunday night in a 118-112 win against the Trail Blazers.

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Jalen Williams vs. Shaedon Sharpe rookie battle

Shaedon Sharpe hit a 3-pointer over Jalen Williams to start the game Sunday.

Jalen Williams pulled up and buried a 3-pointer over Sharpe in the third quarter.

It was a battle of rookie guards Sunday night at Moda Center.

Sharpe made a pull-up jumper late in the fourth quarter, and Williams responded with a layup that gave the Thunder a four-point lead with 3:33 to play.

Sharpe, who was 8-of-11 from the free-throw line, missed back-to-back foul shots with 39 seconds left. Two makes would’ve made it a two-point game.

Still, Sharpe finished with 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He was 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

Williams had a similar line, with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He was 2-of-2 from 3-point range with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Portland picked Sharpe at No. 7 in the 2022 draft. Williams went 12th to the Thunder.

Like Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Sharpe was born in Ontario, Canada, and went to college at Kentucky — although Sharpe never played for the Wildcats.

“He’s got tools,” SGA said of Sharpe, whom Blazers coach Chauncy Billups calls Shae. “He’s got God-given talents you can’t teach. He’s so young, the sky’s the limit for him.”

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The Lu Dort Experience

Lu Dort ripped the ball from Sharpe, passed to Gilgeous-Alexander and then got the ball back to finish the fastbreak with a two-handed dunk.

Dort’s heads up play with 11 seconds left sealed the win.

It wasn’t as impactful as blanketing Kawhi Leonard a few nights ago in Los Angeles, but that’s twice on the Thunder’s trip that Dort made a clutch stop at the end of a game.

It was a very Dort way of salvaging a 2-of-14 shooting night. Both of his baskets came in the fourth quarter.

Dort shot 0-of-6 from 3-point range and 2-of-8 in the paint. He repeatedly drove into traffic only to fling up prayers.

Dort’s rock-solid defense makes his at-times shaky offense easier to stomach.

“I thought his last stint was his best stint,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought that’s when he played closest to his identity. He had great physicality on the defensive end of the floor, still wasn’t finishing great, he didn’t shoot it great tonight, obviously, but I thought he was trying to make the right plays during that stint.”

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Thunder vs. Hornets

TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Tuesday at Paycom Center (BSOK)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is getting back in groove