Subscribe
Follow Us
The Houston Rockets snapped Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s four-game win streak with a 119-116 victory Sunday night. The victory ended the Thunder’s four-game road trip with a 3-1 record. Players from both teams had to be separated after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks’ jump ball in the final minute of the Rockets’ win; Daigneault and Oklahoma City were overly optimistic about the loss.
Considering the three impressive wins that came before it, Daigneault says Sunday’s loss is something to learn from. He’s already seen tremendous growth between the start of the west-coast trip and today and expects that to continue.
“Glad we could learn from playing in a game like that. So, we got to learn from it, grow through it,” Daigneault said. “But, I think, the trip in totality, we’re a better team right now than we were eight days ago when we took off for this trip. We went through a lot of different experiences that we can grow from. [From] some of the wins to tonight.”
Daignault also commended his team for still competing at a high level despite the Rockets’ physicality and competitive atmosphere at the Toyota Center.
“Really high-level game. First of all, I thought both teams really competed. [A] very physical game, and both teams played really hard,” Daigneault said. “I thought they threw the first punch physically, and we responded really well in the first half at a time when the game could have gotten away from us, and we got control of the game for much of it.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 32 points led five Thunder players who scored in double figures, including Jalen Williams (22 points) and Isaiah Hartenstein (19 points, 13 rebounds). Cason Wallace added 14 points, including 3-for-6 from deep, and Aaron Wiggins led the bench with 13 points for Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaks silence on Dillon Brooks moment
After Thunder All-Star Shai Gilegous-Alexander got tied up with Rockets guard Dillon Brooks in the fourth quarter, players from both teams needed to be separated by security. Gilgeous-Alexander extended his 28+ point-scoring streak to nine straight on Sunday. Then, he talked about the jump ball that led to an out-of-bounce in front of the Thunder’s bench before things calmed down.
Gilgeous-Alexander dismissed any speculation of malice between the two guards, per Thunder Wire’s Clemente Almanza.
“Jumpball. Nothing else,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 35.0 points on 52.6% shooting throughout the Thunder’s four-game road trip. He’s also been getting to the free-throw line more often. Gilgeous-Alexander made 9-of-11 against the Rockets.
