The Oklahoma City Thunder might have just unlocked the key to solving the James Harden mystery.

After coming out hot with a quick 2-0 lead in the series, the Houston Rockets have now dropped back-to-back losses as the Thunder evened out the series at 2-2 with a remarkable 117-114 win on Monday night. The backcourt tandem of Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder had another huge night combining for the Thunder's 56 points but it probably wasn't any of these two that left the former MVP frustrated after the Game 4 loss.

One of the key things that have worked wonders for the Thunder is the lockdown defensive play by rookie Luguentz Dort, who has been their main Harden-stopper all-season long. The undrafted rookie out of Arizona State might know a thing or two about his fellow Sun Devil. If you remember, Dort had his first NBA start against the Rockets in January where he was tasked to man Harden and effectively limited him to a dismal 1-17 shooting clip from three-point land.

Tonight, Dort was at it again and is slowly looking like OKC's secret weapon in trying to contain The Beard. Prior to Game 4, it's been proven that Dort has statistically come out as the most effective defender against James Harden among players who have guarded him for at least 30 possessions this season. Harden has shot 5/34 when guarded by his fellow ASU alum.

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Though Harden had another huge night with a near-triple double, his 34 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds was still not enough to propel Houston to take a commanding 3-1 lead over the Thunder. On the contrary, OKC has now effectively cut the series to a virtual best-of-three as they seem to have an answer to the high-powered Houston offense for now.

Look for both Dort and Harden to come out with necessary adjustments ahead of Game 5 on Wednesday.