OKC Thunder Continue To Benefit From Lakers' Mistakes

OKC continues to cause turnovers, and also continues to benefit from them.

May 7, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) blocks a shot by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the first half during game two of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC has continued to let its lockdown defense benefit it in all possible ways. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder are now leading their round two series 2-0 after another win over the Lakers on Thursday night. The Thunder have dominated in their first two games against Los Angeles, winning by 18 points in both games.

A big part of this has been OKC’s defense. The Lakers are only averaging 98.5 points per game in the second round due to the suffocating nature of the Thunder defense. Oklahoma City had the best defensive rating in the league during the regular season, finishing with a rating of 106.5. They have continued this dominance in the postseason, currently posting a rating of 107.5 in the playoffs. 

This performance takes the effort of the full Thunder squad to pull off, but some specific players have been putting up head-turning stat lines. Chet Holmgren specifically has been a dominant force for the OKC defense. In the past two games, Holmgren has combined five blocks and five steals, doing everything possible to halt the opponent's offense.  

Guard Cason Wallace has been disruptive himself, averaging two steals per game so far in the series. The extra possessions granted from Oklahoma City’s defense seem like just momentum changers in the moment, but have turned out to be the key to the Thunder’s dominance.  

Just like in any game, the turnover battle has been imperative to this series, and just like most games the Thunder take place in, they have won it. In Game 1, Oklahoma City won the turnover battle, causing the Lakers to turn the ball over 18 times. This led to 20 points for OKC off the Lakers' mistakes and helped fuel an opening game win. 

Game 2 was more of the same, with L.A. turning the ball over 21 times and allowing the Thunder to score 26 points off its mistakes. In both bouts, OKC has been able to profit off its elite-level defense and will be looking to continue this play as the series progresses. 

The Thunder will now be challenged to produce this much on the defensive end in Los Angeles for the next two games. OKC has done it before, winning two games in L.A. during the regular season, and now has the opportunity to complete its second sweep of the postseason there.

It will be a hostile environment, but with the momentum changes and extra points from the Thunder’s stout defense, they have a chance to continue this dominant playoff stretch.