May 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) attempts a shot under pressure from Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) and center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) in the second quarter during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

OKC Thunder Forcing Turnovers at Record Pace During the Postseason

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Randall Sweet | Last updated May 20, 2025 2:01 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder's defense was been one of the best in recent memory throughout the regular season.

OKC led the league in forced turnovers, averaging more than 18 per game en route to a 68-win season and the highest point differential in NBA history. The Thunder's dominant defense paved the way for the most successful regular season campaign in franchise history, and has now carried over into the postseason.

So far, Oklahoma City has knocked off Memphis and Denver in best-of-seven series to reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016. The Thunder have reached been able to take down both of their opponents despite lackluster shooting performances, leaning on the team's defense to easily take care of the Grizzlies before winning a hard-fought battle against the Nuggets.

The Thunder have forced 201 turnovers in their first 11 playoff games this year, the most during an 11-game span since the 2007 Warriors squad that defeated that No. 1-seed Mavericks in the first round.

OKC has forced 201 turnovers to begin the playoffs.

It's the most turnovers forced in an 11-game playoff span since the 2007 "We Believe" Warriors, and the second-most since the 1996 Bulls.
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) May 19, 2025

OKC's mark of 201 is the second-most forced turnovers since the 1996 Bulls, which is widely viewed as one of the greatest teams of all time. In fact, Oklahoma City's Net Rating in 2024-25 was the second-highest in NBA histry, trailing only the aforementioned Chicago team.

In the playoffs, the Thunder's defense has helped the team build momentum on offense by giving the team easy transition looks. Even in a 32-point Game 7 win against the Nuggets, Oklahoma City only connected on 30.8% of the team's shots from 3-point range.

The difference, however, was the Thunder's ability to force turnovers and score in transition, which often leads to the team going on lengthy, lopsided runs that help Mark Daigenault and company build a double-digit lead.

During the regular season, OKC set a new league record for the most double-digit wins in one campaign with 54. In Game 7 on Sunday, this was the team's recipe for success again, as a few steals and buckets in transition from Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams helped the Thunder take a 14-point lead into halftime.

Against a tough Minnesota team, Oklahoma City will have to continue playing its pesky, aggressive brand of defense, and continue to force turnovers, to notch another series win.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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