The Oklahoma City Thunder extended its league-best record to 13-1 in a 109-96 win against the Charlotte Hornets. In what one considers to be one of the NBA's best starts in league history, the defending champion avoided an upset loss on the road. Head coach Mark Daigneault explained how his team turned things around in the second half.
“In the third, we got the defense in a really good spot. Got back, settled into the halfcourt, forced them to play halfcourt basketball, and the stops created some running opportunities, and let us get out in the break,” Daigneault said. “So, I thought we had a great response out of halftime. We didn't play our best game in the first half. We course-corrected nicely, and made some adjustments to what we were doing, and it was helpful in the third.”
The Hornets connected on nine of their 16 threes in the first half before the Thunder held them to 18 points in the third quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 points on 13-of-19 attempts, including 3-for-4 from deep, seven assists, and two steals. Chet Holmgren finished with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting, a pair of threes, eight rebounds, and one block against the Hornets.
After the win, Daigneault talked about Holmgren's impact in the Thunder's 13th win in 14 games.
“It starts with his skill. He's got great skill. Great hands. Great shooting touch and he's done a great job, so far, this year, of figuring out how to assert himself in the flow of the team, and tonight was no different,” Daigneault said. “He came out very aggressively and played within the flow, and had a really nice game.”
Mark Daigneault urges Thunder to keep the right ‘mindset'
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault wants to see his team improve despite its near-perfect start as defending champions. He knows teams around the league will improve and adapt, which is why he's warned his team to do the same.
“The thing is, we have the maturity to understand there’s 70 more games,” Daigneault said. “And the rest of the league is gonna continue to evolve and improve, and we have to do that to keep pace with the rest of the league. The guys have done a great job carrying that mindset for a long time, but we have to carry that mindset despite the fact we’ve had early success.”
The Thunder will conclude its brief two-game road trip against the Pelicans on Monday.
