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OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault watched his All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make NBA playoff history in a Game 2 blowout win against the Denver Nuggets. In a 149-106 victory, Gilgeous-Alexander turned in an epic stat line like no other player has in the association. He finished with 34 points, eight assists, and a record-breaking plus-51 plus-minus rating.
Before Game 2, nobody had ever posted 30 or more points and a plus-50 plus-minus in a single playoff game. After the win, Daigneault reacted to Gilgeous-Alexander’s historic performance.
“34 points on 13 shots is hard to do. That was impressive. But I thought his floor game was really good,” Daigneault said. “I thought his pace was really good. I thought he was off it early. He made them pay when they overhelped on them. He had the ball ahead of him all night, so he got his teammates shots, too. It wasn’t just a one-man show. He was super efficient. He had an unbelievable blend tonight.”
Mark Daigneault on SGA’s performance:
“34 points on 13 shots is hard to do. Impressive. But I thought his floor game was really good. I thought his pace was really good… he had the ball ahead of him all night so he got his teammates shots, too. It wasn’t just a one man show” pic.twitter.com/feBn5V0NNe
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) May 8, 2025
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went 11-of-13 from the floor and connected on a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line. On a night when the Thunder set a team and league playoff record by finishing with 149 points, Gilgeous-Alexander led eight Thunder players in double figures — another franchise record in the postseason. Oklahoma City also set the franchise record for most points in the first half (87) while leading the Nuggets by 31 points (87-56) at halftime.
Mark Daigneault on Thunder's 43-point rout in Game 2
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Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault wasn’t surprised by his team’s effort in Game 2’s 149-106 win against the Nuggets. While evening their Western Conference semifinals series 1-1, Daigneault and the Thunder showcased how dominant they can be coming off a loss, especially one like in Game 1, where they surrendered a 14-point lead in a losing effort.
Still, Daigneault didn’t see Wednesday’s win as a response to a disappointing loss. Instead, he looked at Game 2 as a testament to the team he’s led all year, reminding reporters that losing doesn’t up the ante for the Thunder.
“I didn’t really look at tonight as a response as much as I looked at tonight as us just being who we are, and that’s how we’ve been all season,” Daigneault said. “We don’t really respond to the last game when we win. We don’t have more confidence when we lose.”
The Thunder will play Game 3 on Friday and look to take their first lead of the series on the road.
