Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren took responsibility for the team’s elite defense this season. Still, even he would undoubtedly agree that head coach Mark Daigneault deserves all the credit for the stifling defense. In their 105-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder not only limited 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama to his worst offensive night of the young regular season, they nearly tied Oklahoma City’s franchise record for most steals in a single game.
The Thunder finished with 18 steals against the Spurs, second for most in Oklahoma City’s franchise history and a testament to how disruptive the defense has been in 2024-25. San Antonio ended the game with a whopping 22 turnovers, as OKC held its opponent to under 100 points for the third time in four games.
“I think disruption as a broader point would be something we lean into a little more than the outcome of turnovers. We want to be a disruptive defense,” Daigneault said after the win. “We want to be difficult to play against, and you [have] to really compete and play hard to do that. And you got to do it on a connected team, and I thought we were that on that end of the floor tonight. And we have been through the first few games.
“So, when you’re disruptive, and you force teams to sort of play out of their rhythm, the turnovers, I think, are an output of that.”
One week into the 2024-25 campaign, the 4-0 Thunder are the only undefeated team in the Western Conference. They are second to the 5-0 Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA but lead the association in defensive efficiency (0.884) and the fewest points allowed (94.8), according to TeamRankings.com.
“The defense was pretty consistent, really good all night. Good intensity. We had them playing in a crowd. I thought we did a great job on Wembanyama,” Daigneault added. “He averaged 16-17 shots a game last year. He took five tonight. So, [there were] a lot of good things on that end of the floor.”
Wemby finished with six points on 1-for-5 shooting, including 0-for-3 from deep.
Mark Daigneault, Chet Holmgren sidestep Victor Wembanyama rivalry talk
Mark Daigneault knows his Thunder big man Chet Holmgren doesn’t consider Victor Wembanyama a rival, as his defense is a byproduct of an elite system. Holmgren made this abundantly clear during his media availability. Despite Wembanyama’s similar stature, simultaneous rookie campaigns, and the fact that Chet finished second to Victor for the 2024 Rookie of the Year award, he’s not feeding into the hype.
For Holmgren, battling against Wembanyama and the Spurs was business as usual, and he labeled the forced rivalry between the two bigs as propaganda.
“The NBA is a business, and the league has been built around players playing basketball obviously. It’s about getting people to come and watch the games, and that’s one of the ways they do it by advertising the players,” Holmgren said. “I just see it as a form of advertisement, and it doesn’t kind of change what our mission is going out there every single night.”
The Thunder’s streak of four games in five days continues on Friday when they face the Trail Blazers.