OKC Thunder Shut Down Top Pick Cooper Flagg in Win against Dallas

Aside from having one of the top scorers and overall basketball players in the world on their roster, the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest strength is its stifling defense.

Last year, that combination helped OKC win 68 regular season games and claim the franchise's first NBA title. Even when the Thunder were unable to knock down shots in the playoffs, Oklahoma City's defense kept them afloat and helped the team make its hard-fought run through the postseason.

Led by All-Defense honorees Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso, among others, the Thunder are one of the best in the NBA at forcing turnovers. While the group has been without Williams and Caruso for the past few contests, OKC has still cobbled together an impressive group of defenders.

So far, that group, combined with the efforts of Gilgeous-Alexander, has been enough to push the Thunder to a 4-0 record. Oklahoma City's most recent win came against the Dallas Mavericks, as the OKC held on to win 101-94 against Jason Kidd's team.

Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 23 points for the Thunder, while Anthony Davis was Dallas' leading scorer with 26. Aside from Davis, PJ Washington, Max Christie and Jaden Hardy helped the Mavericks cut a near 20-point lead into a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter.

One player who wasn't able to muster much of an offensive impact, though, was rookie and 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. Against OKC, Flagg went 1-of-9 from the field, scoring just 2 points and finishined the game without an assist.

Overall, Flagg finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 31 minutes on the floor, finishing as a -20 in the box score. This came on the heels of an impressive performance for the potential star, as Flagg finished with 22 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and a block in the Mavericks' win against Toronto, shooting 8-of-14 from the field.

Coming into Monday night's contest, Flagg was 18-of-41 from the field on the season, shooting 43.9% from the field. After meeting the Thunder, Dallas' top pick is averaging 13 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a steal per game so far this season.

Of course, Flagg will likely continue to improve as the year goes on as the 18-year-old continues to adjust to life in the NBA. As a result, Flagg shouldn't have too many showings like he did on Monday night against one of the league's best defenses.