OKC Thunder Need Other Defenders to Step Up in Lu Dort's Absence

The Thunder will have a tough matchup on Tuesday, but they'll be without their go-to defender.

Oct 21, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort reacts after a play against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City is set to face one of the NBA’s top legends, but it will need to have a different game plan than usual.

On Tuesday night, the Thunder will host the Golden State Warriors in the teams’ first matchup this season. After the Warriors won the season series in 2024-25, the Thunder would probably like to get some revenge this time around.

Of course, it won’t be easy for the Thunder to take care of business, with Stephen Curry returning to the floor after missing the past three games. Typically, the Thunder would throw Lu Dort onto Curry and live with the results, but that won’t be an option for Mark Daigneault’s crew on Tuesday, as Dort is set to miss his fourth straight contest with an upper trap strain.

With someone as explosive as Curry on the other side, the Thunder will need a good team effort to contain the two-time MVP. Of course, the Thunder are in a much better situation than virtually every team in the league when it comes to missing their star defender.

Even with Dort sidelined, the Thunder have plenty of options to throw on Curry. While the entire Thunder roster is filled with capable defenders, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso will likely be getting most of the possessions on Curry.

Nov 9, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) defends during the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Considering Wallace and Caruso have had better starts offensively than Dort, losing the Defensive Player of the Year candidate might not hurt too much in the short term. However, even if the Thunder are able to take care of business against the Warriors and slow Curry, they will still have another superstar waiting on Wednesday.

While Dort’s absence hurts to an extent against the Warriors, the Thunder will certainly be hoping he is good to go for Wednesday night’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. While Wallace and Caruso should be able to do a good job containing Curry, Dort is the Thunder’s best hope for slowing down Luka Doncic. With Austin Reaves also in the Lakers’ backcourt, the Thunder will likely need even more from their perimeter defenders with such a versatile one-two punch in the backcourt.

In any case, the Thunder should have plenty of defenders to throw at anyone they face, even if the injuries have piled up a bit early in the season. With such a deep roster, Daigneault has plenty of wrinkles to throw at any star who steps into Paycom Center.

---