OKC Thunder Must Attack Lakers' Poor Defense in Round 2

The Thunder should be able to dominate against a lackluster LA defense.

Apr 2, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles down the court as Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) defends during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City shouldn’t have many problems offensively in the second round.

On Tuesday night, the Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers will tip off their second-round series after the Lakers finished off the Houston Rockets in Game 6 on Friday night. With the Thunder seeking a second straight trip to the Western Conference Finals in their title defense, this matchup shouldn’t pose many issues, especially for the Oklahoma City offense.

Looking at the final scores from the Lakers’ first-round series, it may seem as if JJ Redick’s team is more than capable of putting together good defensive performances in the postseason. And that is the case, at least when facing a team as offensively challenged as the Rockets.

In the first round, the Lakers held the Rockets under 100 points four times and finished with a defensive rating of 105.8, which would’ve ranked first in the entire league in the regular season. Of course, the Thunder are going to be a much tougher team to guard in the second round after boasting a 129 offensive rating in the first round, easily the best in the playoffs.

Now that the Lakers are playing a good offense in Round 2, their defensive numbers could begin to mirror their regular season rankings. Throughout the regular season, the Lakers' defense was consistently struggling, finishing the year with a defensive rating of 116.4, good for 19th in the league. 

Another issue the Lakers defense will face against the Thunder is their inability to finish possessions. In the first round, the Lakers had the second-lowest defensive rebounding percentage at 70.4%. 

Although the Rockets’ offense is predicated on getting offensive rebounds, their lackluster talent never made the Lakers pay for their efforts on the glass. Meanwhile, the Thunder will enter this series after leading the league in offensive rebounding percentage in the first round, grabbing 31.5% of their misses.

As much as the Lakers’ defensive shortcomings will hurt them in this series, this Thunder offense may simply be too overpowering for these issues to be manageable for Redick’s team. Still, Redick will be looking to throw plenty of different coverages at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the Thunder.

Ultimately, the Thunder’s shooting luck could be the only factor with a legitimate chance of slowing Oklahoma City’s offense. Considering how well Oklahoma City picked apart the Lakers’ zone in recent meetings in April, even some rough shooting nights may not be enough to truly slow down this Thunder offense.