Mark Daigneault Articles - Page 2

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, […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed his team’s unprecedented 16-game winning streak after eliminating the Phoenix Suns in a 138-89 blowout win in the NBA Cup quarterfinal. The Thunder’s near-perfect start extended its 24-1 record, tying the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best start in NBA history through 25 […]

At this point, it seems the only way to stop the Oklahoma City Thunder is to cancel the season entirely. The Thunder have only lost once in 24 games and remain undefeated at home in 11 outings. To do away with hyperboles: They’re great. They will put their 15-game winning streak on the line on […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault reacted to his defense stifling Dallas Mavericks’ Anthony Davis, holding the 10-time All-Star to two points on 1-for-9 shooting in a 132-111 blowout victory. The Thunder extended its winning streak to 13 straight. Daigneault highlighted Thunder forward Kenrich Williams and center Jaylin Williams as Davis’ primary […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Amid the drama between the Los Angeles Clippers front office and Chris Paul parting ways, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault revealed what he’ll remember most about the future Hall of Fame guard. Paul, who spent the 2019-20 season with the Thunder, took on a leadership role among Oklahoma City’s young […]

Amid Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams’ regular-season debut in Saturday’s NBA Cup win against the Phoenix Suns, head coach Mark Daigneault and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander watched Ajay Mitchell limp off the floor with a left knee contusion. The extended list of injuries feels endless for the defending champion. However, it hasn’t disrupted the Thunder’s winning […]

Down the stretch of a 123-119 victory, coach Mark Daigneault watched his Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star forward Jalen Williams remain steady in his regular-season debut in an NBA Cup game against the Phoenix Suns. Daigneault says Williams looked almost as if he’d been with the team all along, amid a 19-1 league-leading start to the […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — After connecting on a dagger-3 to push the Thunder’s lead to four in the final minute of Wednesday’s 113-105 NBA Cup win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chet Holmgren discussed Mark Daigneault’s influence. Daigneault challenged the Thunder to play better after one of Oklahoma City’s hardest-fought regular-season wins. After the win, Holmgren credited […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder stretched their winning streak to 10 games to improve to an 18-1 record in the regular season in a 113-105 NBA Cup victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After Thunder veteran guard Alex Caruso warned his team about the daunting stretch of games, starting with a […]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dragged himself to the arena feeling sick. He left it with 40 points, another win, and a head coach shaking his head in disbelief. The Oklahoma City Thunder star powered a 113-105 NBA Cup victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, extending Oklahoma City’s winning streak to 10 games and bumping its record […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams’ 19th consecutive absence, head coach Mark Daigneault reminded reporters of the rigorous process that the All-Star forward is currently facing. With no date set for Williams’ return, the Thunder will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in an NBA Cup game without him. Before the Thunder’s […]

For head coach Mark Daigneault, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 17-1 dominant start is a testament to a standard set by a team coming off its first championship with something to prove. As Chet Holmgren said: the Thunder is still striving for more in 2025-26 and far from a finished product. Daigneault says the Thunder has […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — In light of Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul announcing his retirement at the end of the season, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault took time to share how the future Hall of Fame guard is an excellent example for Chet Holmgren. After the Thunder improved to 17-1 in Sunday’s win against the […]