Can OKC Thunder Take Away Lakers' Star Power in Round 2?

The Thunder could give themselves a significant boost by taking away LA's top performers.

Feb 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s title defense will soon continue with a second-round matchup against the Lakers, and limiting their star power could be the key to a quick series.

On Tuesday night, the Thunder and Lakers will tip off their second-round series in Paycom Center as the top-seeded Thunder look to remain unbeaten this postseason. While there will be various factors that change the complexion of the series over the course of the next week or two, the Thunder’s ability to limit the Lakers’ star power will be near the top of the list.

Although Luka Doncic’s availability for the series is still unknown, aside from him likely missing the first couple of games at least, the Lakers still have some star power to account for. LeBron James and Austin Reaves have been playing together for five seasons now, and the two have developed chemistry as Reaves has turned into an All-Star-caliber player.

Ultimately, the series hopes for the Lakers will come down to how those two perform against a stout Thunder defense. With Lu Dort, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso likely to be matched up on those two for most of the series, Oklahoma City will be putting itself in a position to limit Los Angeles’ firepower.

Sure, the Lakers have some capable role players who can hit shots and be crucial to the team finding a rhythm, but guys like Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton simply won’t be the Thunder’s top concern. Considering the Lakers’ lack of other creators, the Thunder should be able to throw some aggressive coverages at James or Reaves when they are on the floor without the other.

Throughout the Thunder’s rise to title contention and becoming champions, they’ve always prided themselves on being able to cut off the head of the snake. While Dort gets plenty of credit for that, as he’s typically on the top opposing player, the entire Thunder defense comes together as a unit to try and limit the effectiveness of one single player.

Although the Lakers have at least two players who will be looking to make their mark on this series as stars, the Thunder have defenders ready to take on the challenge from tipoff to the final buzzer at full force.

Obviously, it will be easier said than done to take away all of the great things James and Reaves are capable of on the court. However, if any team is built to keep stars from taking over games and series, it’s this Thunder squad.