OKC Thunder's Defense Continues to Limit Opposing Superstars

The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best defenses in the NBA, and potentially one of the best in recent memory.

OKC sits atop the NBA in multiple defensive statisitics, including defensive rating and turnover percentage. Alongside the metrics, though, Thunder's defense has done well limiting opposing stars so far in the 2025-26 season.

When matched up against a Los Angeles Lakers squad that currently sits at No. 2 in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City notched a blowout win and mostly stifled Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. In that Nov. 12 contest, Doncic shot 7-for-20 from the field and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc while Reaves went 4-of-12 and 0-for-5 from 3-point range.

The duo combined for 32 points, which is well below Doncic and Reaves season averages. Doncic alone is averaging 35.2 points per game this year, while Reaves is averaging 29.3 points per game.

Recently, the Thunder's defense shut down star big man Anthony Davis when the Dallas Mavericks came to Oklahoma City. While Dallas' record may not be stellar, the team has been playing recently.

The Mavericks have won four of their last five games, notching wins against the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat and Houston Rockets in that span. The only Dallas loss in the team's last five contests has come at the hands of Oklahoma City.

Davis logged just 2 points in that contest, shooting 1-of-9 from the field and turning the ball over twice while finishing as a -18 in the box score.

That was Friday night, and on Saturday, Davis responded in the Mavericks' win against Houston, shooting 14-of-19 from the field for 29 points. Not only did the Thunder shut down Davis, a 10-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree, the team did so without Lu Dort, Alex Caruso or Isaiah Hartenstein, three strong defenders, in the lineup.

This isn't the first time a superstar has had a big night after being shut down by OKC, though, as Steph Curry had a similar occurance earlier this year. On Nov. 11, Curry scored 11 points while shooting 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc in the Warriors 126-102 loss against the Thunder.

The following night, Curry errupted for 46 points while shooting 13-of-25 from the field in a win against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

After winning an NBA title in 2024-25 behind the team's remarkable defensive effort, OKC appears to have the same prowess this season in the midst of a 22-1 start.