Mark Daigneault Articles - Page 2

OKLAHOMA CITY — Coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to a Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks team in a 110-93 blowout at home on Thursday. The Thunder faced the Bucks without Jalen Williams and All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed his fifth consecutive game with an abdominal injury. After the loss, Daigneault pointed to […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — For the first time in the regular season, rookie guard Nikola Topic is available to play for coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder after a testicular cancer diagnosis in October. Following three rounds of chemotherapy, Topic played in his first G League games this week, which eventually cleared the way […]

Head coach Mark Daigneault watched Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams’ 28-point, near-perfect shooting performance lead his team to a 136-109 blowout victory against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. 24 hours removed from Williams’ high-school jersey retirement ceremony in Gilbert, Arizona, Jalen put on a show on the road in front of his friends and […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault commended rookie Nikola Topic’s G League debut this week, nearly four months removed from a testicular cancer diagnosis. The Thunder assigned Topic to the Oklahoma City Blue, OKC’s G League affiliate, ahead of Monday night’s matchup against the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Topic finished with seven points on 3-of-5 […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Coach Mark Daigneault watched Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain make his debut in a 112-106 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday. McCain was welcomed with open arms by Thunder fans at the Paycom Center with a standing ovation, as he checked in. He finished with five points, two rebounds, and […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — In a 112-106 loss to the Houston Rockets, Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder dropped its fifth loss in eight tries, second consecutive, as the defending champions continue life without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Thunder All-Star Gilgeous-Alexander will sit through the All-Star break with an abdominal injury. He’s expected to be re-evaluated after […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — After Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren earned his first All-Star Selection, the NBA announced the Thunder big man will participate in All-Star Saturday’s Shooting Stars competition, which coach Mark Daigneault had never heard of. The association shelved the contest for 11 years before bringing it back for next Saturday’s festivities, which […]

Basketball gut tells you that a bit of gamesmanship may have proven a big reason the Oklahoma City Thunder sat just about every single one of their rotational guys against the San Antonio Spurs. Following a great shorthanded showing that had them within four points of their rivals in the fourth quarter, OKC head coach […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — In a 128-92 blowout win against the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault watched All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extend his streak of scoring 20+ points to 121 on Tuesday. After Gilgeous-Alexander surpassed Wilt Chamberlain’s 92-game streak, which is the Hall of Fame center’s second longest streak of scoring 20+ points, SGA […]

After a 121-111 win against the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed guard Cason Wallace scoring a career-high seven threes to reach a career-best 27 points in Sunday’s win. The Thunder, coming off a 123-111 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander questioned his team’s plan against one of the […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — After Lu Dort was separated from New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears, who was forcibly escorted off the floor by team officials and through the tunnel toward the visitors’ locker room like nightclub bouncers, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called out the referees. A 105-94 win against the Pelicans on Tuesday […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Ahead of facing the New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was hit with a hard-hitting question about the tragic shootings in Minneapolis ahead of traveling to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Coming off two consecutive losses at home, Daigneault and the Thunder look to bounce back before a brief […]

The shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder, coming off a rare two consecutive losses at the Paycom Center, will look to bounce back, and Chet Holmgren needs to be a big part of that. The Thunder’s 103-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors should be a turning point for head coach Mark Daigneault and the defending champions, which […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Head coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves on the wrong end of two consecutive losses decided by a final play that didn’t end with the ball in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands. After scoring 47 points in a 117-114 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Gilgeous-Alexander shrugged off Sunday’s 103-101 loss […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — After Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder lost by three to the Indiana Pacers, they followed it up with a two-point loss (103-101) to the Toronto Raptors at the Paycom Center. Daigneault watched the Thunder’s two-point lead turn into a four-point deficit in 33 seconds when Immanuel Quickley connected on back-to-back […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Despite Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 47 points amidst an 18-point comeback, coach Mark Daigneault and the defending champions came up short in their Finals rematch against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers defeated the Thunder 117-114 at the Paycom Center. After the loss, Daigneault tipped his cap to the Pacers […]

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell was on pace to eclipse his career-high 28 points in a 122-102 blowout win against the Milwaukee Bucks, before an injury derailed a career night, as he was 11 points away heading into halftime. His 18 points kept the Bucks at bay in the first half before Thunder’s Mitchell […]

Head coach Mark Daigneault’s shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder thinned down to 10 players in the second half of Monday’s 126-104 win against the Cleveland Cavs. Thunder’s Alex Caruso and Jaylin Williams exited the game with respective injuries, forcing Daigneault to go deep into his bench, which didn’t disappoint. Oklahoma City entered the matchup without All-Star […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault reacted to Jalen Williams’ hamstring injury in the Thunder’s loss to the Miami Heat, which snapped the defending champions’ five-game win streak. Williams suffered the injury in the second quarter of a 122-120 loss to the Heat and never returned. After the loss, Daigneault provided an update on […]

Amid Oklahoma City Thunder All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams’ offensive struggles, head coach Mark Daigneault watched the tandem force a path toward victory in a 111-91 road win against the Houston Rockets. Chet Holmgren received All-Star praise from Gilgeous-Alexander, as the starting forward’s defense helped the Thunder hold the Rockets to 16 points in […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Head coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder had plenty to work with in their preparation to take down Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs for the first time this season. Wembanyama and the Spurs entered the Paycom Center with three wins under their belt, while Daigneault and the Thunder […]

With the shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder missing All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and starting forward Chet Holmgren, head coach Mark Daigneault watched Kenrich Williams help erase a 21-point deficit against the Memphis Grizzlies. Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace were also ruled out for Friday’s game. Still, the Thunder persevered, edging out the Grizzlies — 117-116 — in […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — At the risk of surrendering a third consecutive loss, head coach Mark Daigneault watched All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drain a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line as the game clock expired to carry the Oklahoma City Thunder into overtime against the Utah Jazz. Thunder coming off of back-to-back losses to the Phoenix Suns […]

On Monday, the defending champion OKC Thunder were shocked when the Charlotte Hornets won 124-97. In the process, the Hornets officially ended the Thunder’s 45-game winning streak over teams with losing records, per ClutchPoints. Afterwards, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gave props to the Hornets, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman/Yahoo Sports. “Credit to them,” […]

After a 131-94 win against the Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams was in-depth about his return from two wrist surgeries and how head coach Mark Daigneault consistently challenges his team. The Thunder reached its 30th win in 35 tries on Friday, matching last season’s 30-5 record, as Oklahoma City continues its […]

In a 124-95 win against the Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault watched backup guard Ajay Mitchell score 17 points without missing a shot. The Thunder’s defense staved off the Trail Blazers in the second half. Mitchell went 4-for-4 from the floor, including one three, and a perfect 8-for-8 from the […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault watched veteran Alex Caruso enter Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks 3-for-15 from deep in his last two outings, which didn’t discourage the guard’s offense in a 140-129 win. While Daigneault gushed over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s growth as a scorer over the years, he commended Caruso’s confidence. Caruso finished […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — As the Oklahoma City Thunder’s reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is considered an early candidate to win the illustrious award in back-to-back seasons, coach Mark Daigneault addressed the growth he’s seen. Gilgeous-Alexander is regarded as a clear MVP favorite, especially following Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic’s recent knee injury, which will keep the […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault offered an update on Nikola Topic after the rookie participated in pregame shootaround before the previous two home games at the Paycom Center, following his testicular cancer diagnosis. Fans were thrilled to see Topic on the floor during Thunder pregame shootaround. Daigneault commended Topic’s approach amid cancer treatment, […]

After losing to the San Antonio Spurs for a third time in 12 days, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault has had more than a day to digest what went awry for the defending champions. During his postgame media availability, Daigneault gave Victory Wembanyama and the Spurs their flowers, while emphasizing San Antonio’s approach extends […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — For the third time in two weeks, the San Antonio Spurs defeated head coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder with a limited Victor Wembanyama, coming off the bench, in a 117-102 Christmas Day loss. With that kind of successful ratio, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander considers the Spurs a better team than the […]

Following the worst loss of the season, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault says the San Antonio Spurs’ “statement” win gives his team plenty to learn from between now and Christmas Day. After Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received “Flopper” chants from Spurs fans, perhaps some home cooking at the Paycom Center will help the […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort entered Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies shooting 29.8% from deep, while averaging 6.3 points in December, but coach Mark Daigneault wasn’t concerned. While some wondered whether Cason Wallace should be permanently starting over Dort, Daigneault dismissed that notion without elaborating after a 119-103 Thunder win over the Grizzlies. […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extended his streak of scoring 20+ points to 100 consecutive games in a 119-103 win against the Memphis Grizzlies, which earned a reaction from coach Mark Daigneault. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 11-of-20 attempts, including 3-for-4 from deep, leading the Thunder to its 26th win […]

The last time the Oklahoma City Thunder played on Christmas Day — the NBA’s annual showcase of its best teams — was in 2018, when head coach Mark Daigneault was still leading the team’s G League squad. Before winning a title, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander expressed disappointment over the Thunder being left off the Christmas Day schedule […]

Not many players in the history of the NBA have been able to say they won a championship in their first NBA season. Even fewer are able to say they’ve done so after starting their career on a two-way contract. Ajay Mitchell achieved both of these feats with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2024-25 […]

A whopping 12 of 16 Oklahoma City Thunder players under coach Mark Daigneault have spent time in the G League, a trend that runs through the defending champion’s culture. From Lu Dort to a two-time champion and All-Defensive guard in veteran Alex Caruso, whose NBA career started with Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Blue — […]

On Saturday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder saw their 16-game winning streak come to an end with a narrow loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the semifinal round of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. The Thunder didn’t get much going from the outside in this game and saw relatively quiet games from Jalen […]

Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder came up short against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, losing the NBA Cup semifinals, 111-109. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder fought back until the end, but came up short down the stretch. After the Thunder loss to the Spurs, Daigneault highlighted Wembanyama’s impact throughout the night, […]