With his team fighting for top position in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell understands the importance of interconference matchups. If his team advances through the East, they will face the Western Conference champion.
One team in particular features a style of play that the seven-time All-Star felt compelled to discuss.
Cavaliers Star Donovan Mitchell Opens Up About the OKC Thunder’s Defense
On Sunday, the Cavaliers traveled to Oklahoma City to play the defending champion Thunder. Though shorthanded, OKC defeated the Cavaliers 121-113. After the game, Mitchell addressed the issues he had with their defense.
“I mean, they foul. There’s no secret to that — they foul,” Mitchell said. “But at the end of the day, it’s been a season and a half, two seasons. What are you gonna do? Keep saying the same things? They’re not calling it. They’re fouls, but they’re not calling it, so it’s not a foul.”
“Yeah, they foul. There’s no secret to that. They foul… They’re not calling it, so it’s not a foul. It’s frustrating, but you just can’t let it get under your skin.”
Donovan Mitchell on the Thunder 👀pic.twitter.com/dKoVl6UtjC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 25, 2026
The Thunder allow 107.7 points per game, just behind the league-leading Boston Celtics (107.6). Opponents also shoot a league-low 43.5% from the field. Despite their reputation for high scoring, Oklahoma City stifles opponents defensively.
Yet they commit only 19.4 fouls per game, ranking No. 10. Mitchell believes the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference benefits from referees’ decisions not to call fouls. In their matchup, officials whistled Cleveland for 22 fouls and Oklahoma City for 19.
In the game, Thunder guard Lu Dort held Mitchell to a 9-for-19 shooting night, including misses on all six attempts from behind the arc. Dort earned NBA All-Defensive First-Team honors last season for his physical play against guards while maintaining lateral quickness. On top of that, Oklahoma City boasts three of the league’s top defenders.
While each team grabbed 44 rebounds, the Thunder’s frontcourt controlled the paint. For example, Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined for 15 boards, while Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein totaled 22.
Cleveland didn’t score for the first 2:57 of the game, and the Thunder jumped out to a nine-point lead, hitting three straight shots from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City led wire-to-wire. Notably, they did so without reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has missed the last eight games with an abdominal strain. During that stretch, the Thunder are 5-3.
Sunday’s loss was Cleveland’s first since Jan. 30. The schedule doesn’t get easier. In their next four games, the Cavaliers face Boston once and Detroit twice. The Thunder will see the Denver Nuggets twice in their next seven games. Currently, the Cavaliers sit No. 4 in the East, eight games behind the Pistons. Oklahoma City leads the West, three games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs.
