In a pivotal moment during the final minute of Game 3 against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs, Alex Caruso made a crucial play, snatching the ball from Scotty Pippen Jr. The Grizzlies, trailing by three points and down 2-0 in the series, were desperate for a scoring opportunity, especially after watching their significant 29-point lead vanish. With Ja Morant sidelined, their offense struggled.
As Desmond Bane came off a high pick-and-roll, shadowed by Luguentz Dort and hedged by Chet Holmgren, he found no easy look. His pass to Pippen on the left wing was slightly off-target, giving Caruso just enough time to close in from his help position. Pippen, cornered, attempted a jab step to create space, momentarily exposing the ball. Caruso seized the opportunity, ripping it away as Dort also converged.
The Thunder`s suffocating defense had effectively stolen the game; there was no chance of getting it back. Oklahoma City delivered a defensive masterclass in the second half, orchestrating the second-largest comeback in playoff history.
Memphis was completely stifled by the league`s top defense, finding it nearly impossible to make shots. In the second half, the Grizzlies committed more turnovers (13) than they made field goals (9 of 36).
“Our defense is our superpower,” Caruso commented after the comeback victory. “When we’re locked in on that side of the ball, we’re an unstoppable force.”
Indeed, Oklahoma City proved to be an unstoppable force frequently throughout the season, clinching a league-best 68 wins before sweeping Memphis. They shattered the NBA record for the best point differential in a season (+12.9 points per game), largely propelled by one of the most dominant defenses seen in recent years. The team`s defensive prowess stems from a remarkable combination of skill, relentless effort, and cohesion.
This stifling defense, alongside the consistent, exceptional performance of scoring leader and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, now faces a significant challenge in the Western Conference semifinals. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, a skilled and brilliant 6-foot-11 center, presents complex problems even for the most well-executed defense. The Thunder`s defense was set to face its next test against the Nuggets in Game 3.
“It felt like seven pit bulls out there. Not five,” remarked Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson after a game in which the Thunder converted 22 turnovers into 30 points against his top-ranked Eastern Conference team. “They were scratching, reaching — in a good sense. Their speed and athleticism, they kind of toppled us over. It was that simple. That’s their calling card.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder averaged 21.9 points off turnovers in the 2025 playoffs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was somewhat modest about the Defensive Player of the Year voting for the 2023-24 season. He finished seventh, receiving a couple of second-place votes, likely due to leading the league with 150 steals. He was the sole Thunder player to appear on any ballots, which he felt didn’t fully capture the team’s collective defensive success.
For those who look at box scores, Gilgeous-Alexander’s defensive impact is clear. He has been among the league’s top five in steals for the past three seasons. During this period, he has twice averaged at least 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Only two other players have matched this feat (minimum 65 games): Draymond Green of Golden State (a former Defensive Player of the Year) this season and Alex Caruso with the Chicago Bulls last season.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledges the advantage of taking the easiest defensive assignment, allowing him to often act as a defensive playmaker roaming like a free safety. With the additions of Caruso and center Isaiah Hartenstein, Gilgeous-Alexander might not even make an All-Defensive first-team composed solely of Thunder players.
Lu Dort, a physically imposing 6-foot-4, 220-pound defender with nimble feet, consistently guards the opponent`s best perimeter scorer. He takes pride in routinely holding his assignment well below their scoring average. It’s a point of contention for many in Oklahoma City that Dort isn’t more decorated for his defense, having never made an All-Defensive team despite opponents actively working to get this elite perimeter stopper away from their stars. He finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting this season.
“There’s not many guys as big and as strong as Lu that could move as well as he does laterally,” Gilgeous-Alexander explained. “He’s kind of a freak athlete in his own way. And then he’s really worked at it, understanding the game and understanding his opponents. His first couple of years he was obviously really good defensively and he’d get caught on certain things. He’s erased all of those.”
Dort’s combination of strength and quick feet makes him a formidable one-on-one defender. According to NBA Advanced Stats, he allowed only 0.69 points per possession in isolation situations this season.
“You think that he’s just a big body and it’ll be easy to screen,” Hartenstein noted. “I don’t know how, but he can get small, too. He just gets through the screens. I think that’s what makes him special – that combination of physicality and then his agility, too.”
Jalen Williams often takes the second-toughest defensive assignment, unless second-year defensive specialist Cason Wallace is in the starting lineup. With Caruso and/or Wallace coming off the bench, opposing stars get no reprieve when the reserves enter the game. And if an opponent manages to penetrate the paint, they face either Chet Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein, or sometimes both big men.
“You don’t really have a weak link,” Hartenstein told ESPN. “When you have your stars playing at a high level defensively, everyone has to lock in. Just seeing your top guys are making those sacrifices, everyone kind of has to buy in. So I think that it starts with them and then the rest.”
The Thunder players are quick to share credit. While Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledges his teammates’ contributions, his peers point to him for setting the high standard of defensive commitment. Dort is recognized as the team`s premier on-ball defender but readily admits that Caruso and Wallace are more effective “in the gaps,” making them exceptional playmakers.
“I’m good with my body,” Dort said. “They’re really good with their hands.”
Caruso, acquired from the Bulls, is the most decorated perimeter defender on the roster, with a first-team All-Defensive selection in 2022-23 and a second-team nod last season. However, within the locker room, there`s no debate about who the best defensive pest is; both Caruso and Wallace defer to Dort.
“Cason is a close third,” Caruso joked, ensuring Wallace heard him.
While none of Oklahoma City`s rotation players require defensive help – and several pride themselves on being lockdown defenders – the team rarely leaves its defenders isolated. According to tracking data, Oklahoma City sent a help defender on 77% of drives this season, the fifth-highest rate in the league. They also doubled on paint touches more than any other team, at 8.0 per game.
However, the second defender isn`t always about helping but often about creating pressure. This controlled chaos is enabled by meticulous game-planning and constant communication. At their defensive peak, opponents are left guessing, while the Thunder players know precisely where their teammates will be.
The Thunder’s defensive dominance is a collective achievement, fueled by a healthy internal competitiveness.
“We haven’t said it out loud, but iron sharpens iron,” Caruso told ESPN. “You see somebody competing at a certain level, playing at a certain level, you have no choice but to match that. And if you don’t, you get left behind.”
Chet Holmgren led the playoffs with 2.8 blocks per game.
The Thunder intensified their focus on defense this season after finishing fourth in defensive rating (111.0 points allowed per 100 possessions) in 2023-24 on their way to becoming the youngest top seed in league history. After a second-round exit, general manager Sam Presti targeted Alex Caruso via trade and Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. These additions brought a premier perimeter defender and an excellent rim protector to the roster, along with two experienced players known for their high basketball IQs and vocal presence.
The roster depth allows coach Mark Daigneault and defensive coordinator Dave Bliss to implement various schemes and styles, from using both 7-footers together to deploying quick, small-ball lineups. Opponents find no simple answers against the Thunder`s defense; they have several players difficult to attack and none that are easy targets.
“They rely heavily on their defensive stoppers,” Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving said after a loss to Oklahoma City this season, “which there are practically five of them out there at one time.”
Oklahoma City’s defensive rating improved to 106.6 this season, despite Holmgren, one of the league’s best shot blockers, missing time with a fractured pelvis. The Thunder allowed 2.5 points per 100 possessions fewer than the second-ranked defense, the largest gap between first and second since the 2015-16 season.
The aggressive, swarming Thunder also led the league comfortably in steals (10.3 per game), forced turnovers (17.0), and points generated from turnovers (21.8). Both their steals and points off turnovers were the highest averages recorded by any team in this millennium. These numbers increased further in their first-round sweep of the Grizzlies, averaging 10.8 steals and 26.3 points off turnovers.
This trend continued into the second round. Although the series against the Nuggets was tied after two games, partly due to Nikola Jokic leading an improbable comeback in Game 1, the Thunder had scored 57 points from 39 forced turnovers across those two games.
After the Thunder decisively won Game 2 (149-106), coach Daigneault emphasized that no significant defensive scheme adjustments were made, attributing the improved performance to simply being “a lot sharper.” However, one notable adjustment was made: the team primarily used the stronger Hartenstein and third big man Jaylin Williams to defend Jokic, rather than Holmgren.
Nevertheless, Holmgren ended up guarding Jokic on one specific possession late in the first quarter that perfectly exemplified this Oklahoma City squad at its best.
Jokic sensed an opportunity to exploit the leaner Holmgren and established deep post position. But length ultimately won over strength, as Holmgren skillfully reached his left arm around the 280-pound opponent and swatted the entry pass away.
Cason Wallace dashed in from the corner to bat the ball further as Jokic attempted to recover it. Lu Dort, one of three Thunder players crowding the paint, secured the loose ball like a rebound.
“Everybody was flying around,” Holmgren commented postgame, a general observation about the team’s defensive effort that night that was particularly true of this play.
Dort immediately found Gilgeous-Alexander, who needed only five dribbles and five seconds to sprint from the backcourt key to the basket. He weaved through defenders before finishing with a smooth scoop layup.
This sequence – generating two of the 34 points off turnovers in the dominant win – embodies what Daigneault means when he describes the game as “interconnected.”
Oklahoma City`s defense doesn`t just prevent opponents from scoring; it actively fuels their own offense.
This defensive identity was key to winning 68 games in the regular season and advancing to the second round. And it’s the foundation upon which the Thunder hope to eliminate further playoff opponents.
“I didn’t really look at tonight as a response as much as I looked at tonight as just us being who we are,” Daigneault stated after the series-tying victory. “And that’s how we’ve been all season.”
