OKLAHOMA CITY — Head coach Mark Daigneault and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder erased a 10-point, second-half deficit in Tuesday's 107-101 win against the Sacramento Kings to remain undefeated through the first five games of the 2025-26 campaign. The Thunder were without starting forward Chet Holmgren, who joined a long list of injuries that included All-Star Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe, and Kenrich Williams.
All three Thunder players have yet to make their regular-season debut. Still, Oklahoma City remains unbeaten. Daigeanult commended Aaron Wiggins (18 points, six assists, three blocks), who got the nod in the starting lineup in place of Williams, Ajay Mitchell (18 points, two steals) for his lift off the bench, and the rest of the Thunder's supporting cast.
“The biggest thing is exposing the guys to the different situations and encouraging some critical thinking in different ways, whether that's in practice or in film, because ultimately, there [aren't] enough timeouts to make every decision,” Daigneault said. “So, it's about preparing the team to think on the fly. Recognize the patterns and recognize situations, and this team has been in that process now for a long time, and we've been in a lot of those games, and we've handled those things well.
“Habits at this point of the season that we have to improve on. We're certainly not a finished product through five games, but we have had good execution in those situations for the most part again tonight.”
Mark Daigneault on the Thunder’s late-game execution vs Kings: “Biggest thing is exposing the guys to the different situations, encouraging critical thinking in different ways…
It’s about preparing the team to think on the fly. Recognize the patterns, and recognize situations” pic.twitter.com/tweET5IzEA
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) October 29, 2025
Four Thunder players scored in double figures, including All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 31 points, which led the team. Lu Dort added 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals, as Oklahoma City capitalized on an 11-4 run to close out the Kings in its hardest-fought victory since the Thunder's two double-overtime wins that started the regular season.
Isaiah Hartenstein on the Thunder's luxury in Ajay Mitchell
Thunder forward Isaiah Hartenstein sees significant growth in Ajay Mitchell, who has emerged as one of head coach Mark Daigneault's go-to weapons off the bench. Amid the first five games of the regular season, Mitchell is averaging 18.7 points, 4.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.
For Hartenstein, Mitchell's maturity always stood out the most. He addressed it before facing the Kings. Maturity, coupled with Ajay's approach to the game, Hartenstein says he isn't surprised to see the 2024 second-round pick have such a strong start to the regular season.
“I think he's just very mature. I think that's what I saw from day one. I think that's the luxury you get when you draft a guy who's a little older,” Hartenstein said. “He has confidence. He doesn't shy away from the game. He approaches the game the right way, and I think that's why you see how comfortable he is right now.”
The Thunder will host the Wizards on Thursday.
