OKC Thunder Return to Suffocating Defense

It appears Oklahoma City’s midseason lull was just that — a midseason lull. It wasn’t anything worth panicking about, and this Thunder team was always too talented to let it continue to slide. The losses in late December certainly offered up some doubt, but make no mistake — this Thunder team is still the NBA’s best and most complete.

Some of the lull could be attributed to shit variance, as Oklahoma City simply went cold. The team missed open shots. Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams being in and out of the lineup didn’t help either. The other problem — especially against the Spurs — was figuring out matchups. After three losses to the same team, you can also start to doubt and second guess yourself. The Thunder proved that many of those issues have been solved over the last week, though, knocking off three playoff teams, finally taking down the Spurs, and blowing out the Houston Rockets.

One surprising area where the Thunder struggled over their slump, though, was on defense. Over the last two seasons, Oklahoma City has developed a reputation for being a completely dominant defensive team — that’s what led them to an NBA championship. During the 24-1 start to the season, the Thunder’s defense seemed like it was on a historic trajectory. For a few weeks, though, it felt like they stopped doing the little things — and the defense suffered.

Now that Oklahoma City is back on track, it’s clear that the return of suffocating defense is leading the way. The Thunder are back to playing their brand of basketball — a brand that’s easily identified and well-known to the fanbase. Led by effort, intensity, and chaos, Oklahoma City has gotten back to its old ways.

The defensive prowess has been evident over the last three games specifically, and in different ways. When the Thunder beat Miami, the Heat honestly had a great offensive game plan — they shot over 50% from the floor. But the Thunder found a way to cause chaos and dominate, forcing a whopping 23 turnovers. Oklahoma City combined for 17 steals and blocks on the night.

Against both San Antonio and Houston, Oklahoma City held both opponents to under 100 points. San Antonio shot just 40% from the floor and the Thunder took away a lot of easy looks. One of the Thunder’s best defensive performances of the season came the very next game, as they held the Rockets to a shocking 33.7% from the floor and 29.2% from 3-points range. The Rockets dominated the rebound battle, but it simply didn’t matter because the defense was elite.

When Oklahoma City is playing its typical, suffocating defense, they look like the team that won the NBA Finals. They look like the team that started the season 24-1. This Thunder team is clearly at its best when playing good defense, and now, they've gotten back to the basics.