Mark Daigneault

okcthunder.com

Young athletes experienced a culmination of fun and learning from Kenrich Williams during his second annual basketball camp in his hometown of Waco, Texas.

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Kenrich: 'I just want the kids to have fun'

okcthunder

OKLAHOMA CITY,&nbsp;July 19, 2023&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed Head Coach&nbsp;Mark Daigneault&nbsp;to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.&nbsp;

During the 2022-23 season, Daigneault led the Thunder to a 40-42 record and an NBA Play-In game victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder's 16-win improvement ranked second in the NBA and at the conclusion of the season, Daigneault finished second in 2023 NBA Coach of the Year voting.&nbsp;

Daigneault was named the fourth head coach in Thunder history on November 11, 2020 after originally joining the organization in 2014 where he served as head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue for five seasons. With the Blue, Daigneault led the team to three straight division titles and four playoff appearances before joining the Thunder bench as an assistant coach in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Thunder Signs Mark Daigneault to Multi-Year Contract Extension

With bags packed for nine days and the possibility of four road games in rowdy postseason environments that many players had never experienced, the Thunder attacked its preparation for the play-in tournament the same way it had for regular season games all season.&nbsp;

The Thunder got in a high intensity practice on Monday, went through game-plan work on Tuesday then after the flight to New Orleans, reeled it back in with a reminder of the togetherness, looseness and joy for the game the team has exhibited all season. That approach, consistent with the way OKC has ramped up to games for years, was an example of the pledge to process the Thunder has operated by over and over. The result was a committed and fearless performance on the road against the Pelicans, as the Thunder became the first 10th seed to win an NBA play-in game.&nbsp;

“From where we were at this point last year to where we are now, it shows the improvement that we've made,” said second-year guard Josh Giddey. “It’s a very small stepping stone to what we're trying to build here but it’s a good first one.”

Two nights later, in another ferocious and desperate road environment, the Thunder built up to the game in a similar way, albeit with longer travel and less time in between games against teams that had their backs against the wall. Despite mimicking the procedure as best as it could, the outcome didn’t go OKC’s way, and the Thunder season ended in the same city where it started, Minneapolis.&nbsp;

The lesson was a valuable one though – that in a two-game, high-stakes situation, the Thunder stayed true to the identity it has built, digested the extremes of postseason basketball and then lived with the results, understanding that it has more control of how it handles the experience than what the scoreboard says at the end of the night.&nbsp;

Back in October, during training camp, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault had Thunder players say a random number. The coaching staff then went to the film of a 2022 NBA Finals game and pressed play on the corresponding possession based on the number thrown out. The lesson was that no matter which play it was, there was going to be something basic, something fundamental to basketball at the highest level that would be relevant to be taught in the first days of camp. That was a quintessential Thunder moment as the team is climbing another massive mountain. The steps that are required at the top are the same as the ones at base camp.&nbsp;

“We just prefer to have an approach and have an environment and have standards that yield results that we bet on over and over,” said Daigneault, who was named a finalist for NBA Coach of the Year. “When the results are positive, we can point back to that process and own it a little bit more. When the results are not the way we want them to turn out, we still have something to show for it and we still can have something to build upon.”&nbsp;

To outside prognosticators before the season, the idea that the young Thunder even had a chance to make the playoffs, or to be in the play-in tournament would have been dismissed out of hand. 40 wins? No way. A road win in the play-in tournament? Get real. Yet a season that started in Minnesota with rookie Jalen Williams taking an elbow to the eye also ended in Minnesota, this time with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wearing an elbow to the orbital area, which required medical attention and caused two chipped teeth.&nbsp;

Gilgeous-Alexander, whom teammate and friend Lu Dort called “a warrior” only missed 2:03 of third quarter action being tended to by medical personnel on Friday. He desperately wanted to get back out on the floor with his brothers and fight to the bitter end with the band. A top candidate to make an All-NBA team and a finalist for the league’s Most Improved Player award, Gilgeous-Alexander was a massive catalyst for the Thunder’s continued improvement through the season. Just like the team’s percolating growth since the fall of 2020, Gilgeous-Alexander’s daily work ethic has been soaking in under the surface for many years, but the petals have bloomed on his game this year.&nbsp;

Despite a 31-point scoring average on over 50-percent shooting, his first career All-Star nod and some dramatic game-winners this season, Gilgeous-Alexander exhibited one of the most important qualities a star player can have – restraint. There was no better example of that selflessness and self-awareness than on Wednesday in New Orleans, when the Pelicans sent double teams his way every time he touched the ball. In the first half, Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 7 points because he simply followed the gameplan by quickly pitching the ball out and letting his teammates gash holes in the defense and knock down shots.&nbsp;

“Winning can be a distraction. Success can be a distraction. Your own ambition can be a distraction,” Daigneault noted. “At the end of the day, you’ve gotta be very present and just play the game.”

Dort, who entered the league as a defensive specialist, has kept his head down and worked the Thunder’s player development system. He notched 20 first-half points to help stabilize the offense, while Giddey played quickly and dominated around the rim, showing off the strength he’s added by staying focused on his physical development. By the time the second half rolled around, New Orleans was behind the action, and Gilgeous-Alexander was able to start looking for his own offense more. He eventually scored 32 points in the game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We know who we are,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who has spearheaded the Thunder’s style of play with all five men making quick pass-shoot-drive decisions in concert with one another.&nbsp;

On a team that put eight rookie or second year players on the floor in a road elimination game on Friday night, a star player like Gilgeous-Alexander demonstrating such restraint sends a massive signal to the rest of the group, including those youngsters. With an average age of 23 and a half years, this year’s Thunder team was the second youngest in NBA history only to last year’s OKC squad. Never using age as an excuse, the Thunder steered into its youth and put as many of those teenage and young-twenties players on the floor in as unpredictable settings as possible this season. An NBA game is already disjointing and uncomfortable, so the Thunder’s strategy was to train adaptability and flexibility into its players from an early age by playing 12 or 13 guys in a single game, while changing up starting and bench units nightly.&nbsp;

“We've got to get our sleeves rolled up, get to work, look in the mirror and understand we have a lot of work to do. We're far from a finished product as a team.” 

The approach may have been a bit unorthodox, but it was a successful tool for the Thunder to keep every man on the roster ready for opportunities. In fact, at the beginning of the year, rookie center Jaylin Williams and guards Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and Lindy Waters were decidedly out of the initial 10-man rotation but got some spot opportunities as Daigneault kept everyone on their toes. Those four players all saw rotation minutes for the Thunder in the play-in games.&nbsp;

Back on that first night of the season in mid-October, rookie guard Jalen Williams was enthusiastically looking forward to his NBA debut. Just a few minutes into the game, he got popped in the eye so badly that it forced him to miss the next four games and wear a mask for weeks. Much like the rest of the Thunder, a slow start didn’t derail Williams’ focus, and he steadily improved every month of the season (as evidenced by his rising scoring and shooting numbers) as he book-ended the season with Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards and vaulted himself into a Rookie of the Year finalist.&nbsp;

The Thunder views developing the entire roster a competitive advantage, and that mindset won’t waver one iota heading into the 2023 offseason. The coaching and training staffs have growth plans in place for each player that they will be delivering on Saturday, with checkpoints like Summer League and player-led meet ups serving as nice intervals to mark progress.&nbsp;

“We’re just trusting everything that we are doing and everything, all the work that we're doing right now,” said Dort.&nbsp;

The return of a veteran like Kenrich Williams from injury, the steady growth of nascent players like Ousmane Dieng, Tre Mann and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and the presence of the Thunder’s number two overall draft pick from 2022 – Chet Holmgren – will all add to the team’s promising future. With the opportunity to add another lottery pick to the group, the Thunder seems poised to build on the 2022-23 season.&nbsp;

Yet despite the relative success the Thunder has had with only two drafts under its belt since the team began replenishing its talent pool back in 2020, Coach Daigneault and the rest of the organization understand not only how much runway this team has, but that it must continue to keep its collective head down and double down on its approach to be ready to play meaningful games in April once again next year.&nbsp;

“It's been really fun this year,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We’re kind of turning the corner a little bit, but I don't think we're satisfied.”

“We've passed a lot of tests this season, and we should be proud of that. But we haven't built our muscles up quite enough to be where we want to be,” added Daigneault. “We've got to get our sleeves rolled up, get to work, look in the mirror and understand we have a lot of work to do. We're far from a finished product as a team.”&nbsp;

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A Consistent Approach Yields Road Map for Offseason and Beyond

By Nick Gallo and Paris Lawson | okcthunder.com

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Highlights: OKC at MIN

The Thunder’s season began in Minnesota back in October, with a road test against a big, physical, veteran Timberwolves squad. The year ended in the same city, but this OKC team is one transformed by the experiences it undertook throughout the past seven months, including tonight’s win-or-go-home play-in game.&nbsp;

As it has all season, the Thunder went into tonight with the same, steady approach of trying to execute its gameplan and play together towards the same end. Unfortunately, OKC didn’t bring enough force and intentionality to the offensive end to finish around the rim and didn’t come up with enough defensive stops to give itself a chance down the stretch. With a final score of 120-95, the Thunder dropped its 84th game of the season, two more games than many outside observers would have predicted at the beginning of the year.&nbsp;

While Wednesday night’s win in New Orleans is a confidence booster for the Thunder heading into the offseason, Friday night’s battle in Minnesota is a great reminder for the second youngest team in the league how much more growth it needs to make. The Thunder is far from a finished product, with plenty of areas to improve upon and sharpen over the summer before next season begins.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Paris: The Thunder may have been giving up some size against Minnesota’s frontline, but that didn’t stop the team from out-rebounding its larger opponent in the first quarter or racking up more blocks. On one possession, the 6-foot-3 Isaiah Joe rose up to completely erase the shot of Timberwolves’ guard Jordan McLaughlin. Joe may have missed the shot on the other end of the floor, but the guard scrapped to get his own rebound. Two more offensive rebounds later, the ball landed in the hands of sharp-shooter Lindy Waters III who drained a 3-pointer on the third attempt. By the end of the first quarter, the Thunder racked up four offensive rebounds compared to just one for the Wolves while also swatting away four blocks while Minnesota logged none. 

Nick: Minnesota’s 7-foot-1 center Rudy Gobert rolled hard to the rim with a clear angle at the hoop as the ball arrived in his hands. In position on the weak side though was Lu Dort, sitting exactly where he was supposed to in the Thunder’s defensive shell. As Gobert elevated towards the basket Dort did the same and met him there for the moment of truth. Going up straight with both arms, Dort met Gobert with physicality and ensured Gobert didn’t get a wide open dunk and instead had to go to the free throw line to earn those two points. Dort’s tenacity was on display on both ends early, as he also deflected a pass out top to prevent an easy catch by Karl-Anthony Towns, then later he pushed the ball hard in transition to draw a foul at the rim. Like on Wednesday in New Orleans, Dort led the Thunder once again in the first quarter, this time with six points and four rebounds. For the game, Dort notched 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

Nick: Offense wasn’t easy to come by in this one, so the Thunder had to stay vigilant for any opportunity it could get to rack up points. After Josh Giddey got a shot blocked he swung the ball back up the perimeter to Dort, who fired it quickly across the top of the key to rookie center Jaylin Williams. The big man was ready to fire and nailed a three-pointer, which ignited a 7-2 Thunder burst that cut Minnesota’s biggest lead of 14 down to a more manageable seven shortly before halftime. Williams had the unenviable task of dealing with Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves’ overall team size throughout this game, but managed to hold his own down low. With some massive box outs down low, Williams snapped up 5 first half rebounds and for the game chipped in eight points and two blocks as one of eight rookie or second year Thunder players to see minutes tonight. 

Paris: Jalen Williams cashed in a pair of 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Then on the defensive end, the rookie used a physical box out on Karl-Anthony Towns to secure a rebound after a Timerwolves missed basket and immediately erupted up the court. Williams hit the gas and barrelled down the lane, taking on contact left and right before getting the call at the rim. After sinking the two free throws, Williams raised his first half point total up to 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from deep in just 17 minutes of action. 

Nick: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kept sticking his nose in the fray all night, sacrificing his body and his fouls for the team when the Thunder needed it. On one defensive play in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander battled down low with Gobert for a defensive rebound, and on the second chance, the Timberwolves center flung his arm backwards and clocked Shai just below his right eye, causing the Thunder All-Star to fall to the ground and require medical attention. The Thunder called timeout to get SGA off the floor at the 9:45 mark of the quarter, yet stunningly at the 7:42 mark, he was back on the floor after OKC’s medical staff met with him back in the locker room. Shai missed just 2:03 of action, then came back and played with great force, getting to the free throw line eight times and scoring 10 points in the frame. 

Paris: Anthony Edwards tried to attack the middle of the floor but was thwarted by the reaching hands of Lu Dort who poked the ball away from Edwards’ grip. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scooped up the loose change in transition and dropped it off to Isaiah Joe who was sprinting up the opposite side of the floor. Joe took his allotted two strides and elevated for a monster one-handed flush that forced Timberwolves’ head coach Chris Finch to call a timeout. The flush was part of a 12-5 run out of halftime to cut down on what had become a 17 point lead for Minnesota. 

Nick: With all of Minnesota’s size and length in the interior, the Thunder struggled to score as much in the paint as it normally does. One fourth quarter play, however, demonstrated exactly how the Thunder wants to score every night. Leveraging an over-aggressive defense that tried to prevent Gilgeous-Alexander from making a catch, Josh Giddey hesitated just a moment to give his backcourt mate time to dart backdoor from the top of the key through the middle of the lane. The rest of the floor was spaced well for the Thunder, and Gilgeous-Alexander burned past his man to receive Giddey’s bounce pass and score an easy right handed layup. The Thunder scored just 30 points in the paint in the game overall as plays like that backdoor cut were denied or ended in the ball just barely rimming out. 

Paris: Lindy Waters III attacked off a high ball screen set by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. After creating several paces of separation, the guard snapped a sharp behind the back pass to Robinson-Earl who drained the 3-pointer. The clock was winding down on a game that had already gone handily in favor of the Wolves, but that didn’t stop the Thunder from squeezing every ounce of experience and opportunity from the moment. For Robinson-Earl, Waters, Wiggins, Mann and Dieng who all closed out the game, it was the first ever taste of postseason basketball and as they always did throughout the season, they used every minute to add to their cache of new experiences. 

“Credit Minnesota. I thought from the jump and throughout the game, they were just a better team tonight. It's a one game series, and in a one game series, that's how it works. So a lot of credit to them. Obviously we didn't throw our best punch tonight. The other night (Wednesday), it was pretty close to our best punch on both ends of the floor. Tonight we had some regression and this is all part of the deal. You get to you see where your highs are, you see where your lows are, and you learn from each of them. Then you just keep using all those experiences to get better and that's what we have to do.

I think the last two games give us a really good range of what we're capable of from a positive standpoint and a negative one. I think you can learn from both. I think this game tonight should give us some humility and understand we have like I said, we gotta roll our sleeves up and get to work. We are far from the finished product as a team and the other night should give us a lot of confidence in what we're capable of when we're on point on both ends of the floor and some good lessons as we head to the offseason.” –Coach Daigneault

“It's a long game. There's gonna be some ups and downs definitely. We just got to stack possessions and then the crowd is gonna get involved, the pressure is going to get higher and we’ve just got to stay together. It was just good to have this experience now under our belt and we know what to expect in the years to come.” –Lu Dort 

“We've come a long way. All the guys have come a long way. It's been fun. It's been really fun this year. We turned the corner a little bit. I don't think we're satisfied either, so I'm excited for the future.” –Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Thunder will return home from Minneapolis late Friday night, then hold end of season interviews on Saturday. Be sure to stay glued to okcthunder.com and the Thunder Mobile App for full coverage. 

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Recap: Thunder at Timberwolves

By Nick Gallo and Paris Lawson |&nbsp;okcthunder.com

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Highlights: OKC 123, NOP 118

The youngest team in the NBA went on the road in a rowdy environment, fell behind by nine points early, absorbed waves of punches throughout the night and found itself in a two-possession game for the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. A team with an average age of 23 years and 100-something days doesn’t often stay poised and come away with a victory against a veteran team like the New Orleans Pelicans, but that’s exactly what the Thunder did on Wednesday night in the ninth-10th Western Conference play-in game.

The game had wild swings in the flow as the Pelicans hammered the offensive glass in the opening minutes, Thunder guard Lu Dort went on a scoring binge with 20 first half points, then OKC got downhill into the paint while going plus-15 on the scoreboard in the third quarter and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got to his spots more freely.

In the fourth quarter, the Thunder once again had to parry a flurry from New Orleans in the form of a 9-2 spurt to start the final frame – a run that would have rattled most teams in OKC’s age demographic. After a timeout, the Thunder righted the ship and went back and forth with the Pelicans for the remaining 10 minutes. This game featured 13 ties and 13 lead changes, and it wasn’t until Gilgeous-Alexander drove left and hit a tough runner on the baseline with 28.3 seconds left that OKC took its final lead for good. In the closing seconds, Dort and Jaylin Williams combined to seal a defensive stand and then Josh Giddey, Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down free throws to put a bow on a 123-118 victory that will send the Thunder into the second round of the play-in tournament.

Paris: After falling behind by nine points midway through the first frame, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault called a timeout. Coming out of the break, OKC threw a zone at the Pelicans which resulted in a missed basket by New Orleans and a 3-pointer on the other end for Dort. The basket ignited a strong 14-2 run by the Thunder fueled by its defense, stops and quick baskets on the other end. Of those 14 points, five of them came on the fast break, an area the Thunder took advantage of through the entire frame. The Thunder also worked to quell one of the Pelicans’ most viable sources of offense – the second chances. OKC gave up 10 second chance points in the first six minutes of action. For the rest of the quarter, OKC didn’t allow one. Just two and a half minutes after the Thunder’s timeout, Pelicans’ head coach Willie Green was forced to call a timeout of his own after a missed shot from Kira Lewis Jr. resulted in a stop and pop 3-pointer in transition by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave the Thunder its first lead of the game at 24-21 and momentum to carry through the rest of the frame.

Nick: The Thunder knew coming into this game it would need to leverage New Orleans’ aggressiveness against them with secondary playmaking. The ever-aggressive Lu Dort was primed and ready to attack quickly against closeouts, using immediate dribbles to the rim to generate six points on drives alone in the first six minutes of action. When the Pelicans closed out short to Dort, the Thunder’s defensive ace was also ready to catch and shoot, as he knocked down a catch and shoot corner 3 and then another 3 off a rhythm dribble. In the first quarter alone, Dort scored 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting, and for the game he scored 27 points on 8-of-14 from the field.

Nick: To beat a New Orleans defense that has great length and recovery ability, the Thunder needed to be able to stretch the floor with shooting. In the first half alone, OKC knocked down eight 3-pointers, including four from Dort as well as two from Josh Giddey. On a baseline out of bounds play, Mark Daigneault yelled out a play from the sideline and one of the NBA’s best sharpshooters all year, Isaiah Joe, got into position. Running off a pair of screens, Joe found an opening on the left wing and Josh Giddey found him right in the shooting pocket for a catch-and-shoot three, which Joe swished.

Paris: After a missed shot from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaxson Hayes pulled down what he thought would be an uncontested rebound. However, lurking right behind Hayes was Aaron Wiggins who sneakily snatched the ball away from Hayes and quickly put up the layup as Hayes desperately tried to claw the ball back. The bucket resulted in an and-one basket for Wiggins and a great example of how the Thunder has been able to scrap and fight for its looks throughout the night. The Pelicans racked up 15 second chance points in the first half, and while that would be a massive number in most games, the Thunder neutralized the extra points with 13 second chance points of its own to go along with nine points off the Pelicans turnovers.

Paris: SGA attacked the middle of the floor using a series of hesitations and between-the-leg dribbles before hitting a spin and to finishing a high-level scoop layup through contact at the rim. The play didn’t result in a foul call, but it did force the Pelicans to burn a timeout after Gilgeous-Alexander’s outburst at the start of the third. OKC’s all-star posted a relatively quiet first half with just seven points but erupted out of intermission with 10 quick points in the first six minutes of action going a perfect 4-of-4 from the field during the span. SGA posted 17 total points in the third and finished the night with a game-high 32 points to go along with three steals, five rebounds and three assists.

Nick: While OKC was able to knock down shots from the outside in the first half, the Thunder got back to its bread and butter in the paint in the third quarter. After heading into the half trailing 32-22 in the paint, OKC outscored the Pelicans 24-10 in the third quarter alone. Gilgeous-Alexander, who came out of the halftime locker room early to get as much warmup time as he possibly could, attacked the rim relentlessly and used his craftiness to score. Josh Giddey used his size and physicality to get through and shoot over the top of defenders, including an and-one layup over the 7-foot Jaxson Hayes. The sequence that stood out though was after a missed three by Jalen Williams, his fellow rookie Jaylin Williams chased down the loose rebound, then immediately looked for a cutter and found Jalen diving to the rim. Jalen finished with a lefty layup without ever having to bring the ball back over to his right hand, a bucket which also helped Jaylin rack up one of what would be a career-high eight assists.

Nick: The Thunder is built on trust both on the defensive end to know that your teammate has your back in help and on offense to make the extra pass. As the ball swung around the top of the key, a Pelicans defender closed out to Josh Giddey and the 20-year-old Australian swung the ball one more time instinctively to the right wing into the hands of Jaylin Williams. Despite going 0-for-6 from three to start the game, Giddey and the Thunder had trust in JWill – a 40-percent 3-point shooter this season. Not only did Giddey make the extra pass, but Williams didn’t hesitate at all to take the shot. After all, his teammates had been encouraging him all night to continue shooting and fortunately he kept listening, because that 3 put OKC up 106-104 in a tight game that went down to the wire. In the closing moments, Williams also factored heavily into a crucial defensive stop as he came over to help shade Brandon Ingram on a double team, then recovered back into the lane to snap up the defensive rebound. For the game, Williams finished with eight points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Paris: Josh Giddey was all over the floor for the Thunder against the Pelicans. Whether it was making his presence known on the glass, dishing out extra passes or getting to the rim, Giddey made a strong impact in multiple areas of the game. The second year guard played a massive role in the Thunder’s ability to get up the floor quickly, even on made baskets. After a made basket by Naji Marshall on one end, Giddey was quickly up the floor finishing a layup on the other end before the Pelicans’ defense could get back and set. For the night, Giddey finished with a game-high and career-high-tying 31 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds on 11-of-22 from the field.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Great 48 minute effort out of the team. Great poise. New Orleans made a couple of big runs at the end of the second and then the beginning of the fourth and I thought our guys just had a great temperament in the huddles and got back to our stuff. We weren't perfect tonight, but we got back to our habits and it was a great effort out of the team." –Coach Daigneault

"Credit to the group. It was a resilient night. They kept making runs, they kept going in front with a couple of minutes left, but we stuck with it and grinded it out. A big win in a tough environment to play in." –Josh Giddey

“We knew this time of year it was going to be a 48-minute basketball game. Both teams are going to want the game extremely bad and it came down to habits and and making plays.” –Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Thunder will immediately fly to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves in Friday’s final play-in game. A win would earn the Thunder the eight spot in the Western Conference playoff standings and a first-round matchup with the Denver Nuggets. 

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Great Effort, Temperament for 48

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Thunder Victorious in NOLA

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Highlights: OKC 115, MEM 100

Ousmane Dieng leapt into the air, but it wasn’t the Frenchman who had the ball, it was his teammate Tre Mann who was soaring to the hoop to punch home a one-handed slam. So sure that Mann had beaten his man off the bounce, Dieng jumped with his teammate as a bit of instinctual moral support. It wasn’t just Dieng, the entire Thunder bench erupted too, in a show of natural excitement and connectedness that the Thunder has shown all year. In game number 82 of the season, an Easter Sunday matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Thunder sprinted through the finish line with a few jolts throughout the afternoon in a 115-100 win.&nbsp;

The victory gave the Thunder 40 wins on the season, and the afternoon’s contest was a jubilant celebration of a year that exceeded all external expectations but was an on-point execution of the team’s pre-season goal of keeping its head down and focusing on internal growth.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Before the game, rookie Chet Holmgren stood at center court of Paycom Center, microphone in hand. The 7-footer missed the entire season with a foot injury, but thanked the Thunder fans for their support all season and reminded them that OKC will have the chance to extend its season in the play-in tournament on Wednesday night. The Thunder clinched a play-in spot and earned that right with the same approach they set out to use from the start of the year, and it’s the same one they’ll take into that battle against the New Orleans Pelicans.&nbsp;

Paris: The Thunder utilized game number 82 to give players who have had an inconsistent role all season a chance to get extended minutes and a larger role. As we’ve seen all season long, the Thunder’s second unit played to the same system and identity of the team as a whole. A great example of that took place in the first quarter where Ousmane Dieng used a ball screen from fellow Frenchman Olivier Sarr and lobbed a pass high where only he could reach it. The two-way player rolled to the lane, grabbed the ball in mid air and slammed it home. The ball moved selflessly like this on each possession and the scoring was well-distributed throughout the game. With that Sarr bucket, all five Thunder starters scored at least one bucket with two minutes left in the first quarter.

Nick: In the final game of the regular season the Thunder wanted to maintain the same standards it has had all season - for both hustle and connectedness. On one first quarter play the Thunder got both, as Sarr battled on the offensive glass to draw a foul after a missed shot by fellow two-way player Jared Butler. After the foul, Sarr found Aaron Wiggins on a backdoor cut for a layup. That’s the type of play the Thunder has been scoring on all season long, and evidence that OKC’s system is sustainable with any of the team’s players on the floor.&nbsp;

Nick: It’s an extremely long season with many twists and turns, so for an extremely young player like Ousmane Dieng who is still only 19-years-old it was all about patience. To start the season Dieng was in a limited role and saw time with the Oklahoma City Blue, then he suffered a wrist injury mid-way through the season which limited his time on the court but not in the weight room or film room. After returning from injury, Dieng built his rhythm back up with the Blue in some G League action before returning to the Thunder rotation towards the end of the season. On Sunday, Dieng was rewarded for his perseverance throughout the year with a career-high 45 minutes, and he racked career-highs in points with 22 and assists with nine to go with eight rebounds.&nbsp;

Paris: The pace of the Thunder’s offense didn’t slow down one bit even with the different looking lineup and rotation. After a missed shot by the Grizzlies on one end, the Thunder sent an outlet pass quickly to Tre Mann who immediately looked up the floor to find his teammates ahead of the pack. The second year guard threw the ball from the backcourt ahead to Aaron Wiggins who sprinted the floor ahead of the defense. Mann put enough air on the ball for Wiggins to simply elevate and tip it through the rim. The action took place all before the Grizzlies had gotten set into their defense. The play added to the Thunder’s total tally of seven fast break points by halftime and 15 for the game.&nbsp;

Paris: The Thunder’s newest two-way player Jared Butler got his first start as a Thunder player and the second one of his career. The second-year guard showcased his shotmaking ability from behind the arc with two made 3’s in the first half, but in the third quarter, he showed that he could put the ball on the deck as well. Butler used a ball screen at the top of the key and made his way to the free throw line where he sent up a high arcing floater that fell through the rim. With his career-high 46 minutes played, Butler posted a career-high 25 points thanks to five made 3-pointers.&nbsp;

Nick: Tre Mann has shown that when given big minutes he can be extremely productive. He scored 75 points in 71 minutes of play during two Oklahoma City Blue games that he played in at the G League showcase out in Las Vegas back in December. He demonstrated that penchant for productivity again on Sunday when he played a career-high 47 minutes, and set career-highs with 12 rebounds and 12 assists to go with 24 points for his first career triple-double. It wasn’t just empty numbers for Mann, who helped get the Thunder into offense, sealed defensive possessions with hustle to track down loose balls and burst ahead of the pack in transition to get to the rim.&nbsp;

Nick: In a game where discipline and attention to detail could have gone by the wayside as five Thunder players played 39 or more minutes, OKC stayed locked in defensively all game. By holding Memphis to 27 or fewer points in all four quarters, the Thunder demonstrated an ability to lock in and focus on a five-man defensive effort that was connected and built on the same habits the team has leaned on all season. For the game, Memphis scored just eight fast break points, nine second chance points and shot just 7-for-37 from the 3-point line.&nbsp;

Paris: The Thunder’s ball movement was on full display against the Grizzlies. A couple players served as core contributors to the assist numbers for the Thunder as Mann and Dieng combined for 21 on the night. Overall, the Thunder posted 30 assists on 45 made baskets which continued a strong trend for OKC against the Grizzlies this season. In all three of the Thunder’s previous meetings with Memphis, the team posted one of its highest assist rates of the year – all above 73 percent.&nbsp;

“I was impressed - 30 assists. Offensively they moved the ball and made all the right plays and allowed the defense to dictate what we got. I thought we got great shots as a result. Obviously a lot of minutes to sustain a high level on the other end of the floor, but I thought that guys did a great job.” –Coach Daigneault&nbsp;

“This game was a testament to the hard work and the commitment that we put in. I think we're all committed to the same things that we buy into and I think this game was just a testament to it.” –Jared Butler

The Thunder will get two days of practice in Oklahoma City before taking off for New Orleans to face the Pelicans in the ninth place and 10th place matchup of the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. That game will take place at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.&nbsp;

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OKC Wins Regular Season Finale

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Highlights: OKC 114, UTA 98

NBA games are always predicated on runs, and tonight, it was the Thunder who made the final and most impactful one. Coming off of two games against proven high-end squads in the Western Conference, the Thunder squared off on Thursday against a Utah Jazz team who was fighting for their NBA careers, if not their 2022-23 season.&nbsp;

Against a bunch of hungry players who haven’t put a ton on tape to scout against, the Thunder simply took care of business, parried every Utah run and used a 19-2 burst that spanned the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth to seal the deal on a 114-98 road victory.&nbsp;

The Thunder got things going with an 18-5 run that ended the first quarter (featuring an Isaiah Joe buzzer-beating three-pointer) and began the second quarter. It was OKC’s second unit that took advantage of those stretches as the Thunder’s reserves outscored Utah’s 50-27 in the game.&nbsp;

The Jazz responded with a 23-10 extended stretch in the second quarter, including a 14-2 run to close the first half. Recognizing the need to just stick with it and play through the 48 minutes of the game with effort and focus, the Thunder stayed the course and took charge to outscore the Jazz 59-46 after halftime.&nbsp;

Nick: In a meaningful game for the Thunder on the road, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took the leadership reins and helped ignite his team on back-to-back offensive possessions. The first one was with extra effort and hustle, and the second was because of smarts and quickness. After missing a step-back 3, Shai recognized the flight of the ball and rushed to the top of the key to get his own second chance, then lined up another three that went down. On the next play, SGA attacked downhill and got fouled, setting up a sideline out of bounds play. Catching Utah sleeping just a bit, Gilgeous-Alexander made eye contact with Josh Giddey and quickly darted from the 3-point line through the free-throw line. Giddey picked out a lofted pass over the top of the defense right into Shai’s stride and the result was a wide open dunk. For the game, Shai led the Thunder with 22 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. 

Paris: Right after taking one of his patented charges on the defensive end, Thunder rookie big man Jaylin Williams then brought some energy to the offensive end. The Arkansas native stepped into a trail 3-pointer at the top of the key – his first boom of the night. Just a couple of possessions later, the Thunder quickly inbounded the ball after a made basket by Utah. Williams ran up the floor quickly, beating the defense down the court. His teammate, Jalen Williams brought the ball up the floor and advanced it to Williams who was spotted up in the left corner right in front of the Thunder’s bench. J-Will sank the uncontested 3-pointer and added another three points to his 11 total for the night. 

Nick: Josh Giddey, the passing maestro, and Isaiah Joe, the sharpshooter, got the chance to interchange roles during a stretch in the middle of the second quarter when the Thunder built up a 16-point lead. With the defense keyed in on Joe at the top of the key, Giddey flared over the top to the left wing and Joe lobbed a pass over to his teammate for a catch-and-shoot 3. While that was an inversion of what opposing defenses usually see, the Thunder made sure to give the Jazz a dose of its normal attack. This time it was Giddey who dished to Joe who used a flare screen to create some separation for himself on the wing for a wide-open catch-and-shoot. The Thunder hit 10 3s in the first half against a Jazz zone defense that didn’t want to give up anything in the paint. For the game, OKC knocked down 15 threes. 

Paris: In the three previous meetings against the Jazz, the Thunder racked up an average of 26 points off Utah’s turnovers. Thursday’s matchup in Salt Lake City followed much of the same script as the Thunder’s defense continued to force turnovers throughout the first half. In one example of how the Thunder forced 10 points off turnovers in the first half, Josh Giddey stole the ball off a bad pass from Kelly Olynyk. The second-year guard accelerated up the floor where he found Isaiah Joe spotted up behind the arc on the other end who sank the triple in transition. For the night, the Thunder’s defense forced 19 Jazz turnovers which translated to 26 points of offense on the other end. 

Nick: After a tough first half where Jalen Williams shot just 1-for-4 and committed three fouls, the rookie bounced back and got himself involved on the offensive end. He took an outlet pass after a block by Jaylin Williams and slammed home a two-handed dunk, then he drove and slipped a slick bounce pass to Josh Giddey for a quick flip shot in the lane. That was one of 5 assists for Williams, and one of 29 for the Thunder in the game. One possession after his assist, Jalen attacked quickly in transition and used an inside-out dribble with the right hand to blow by the Jazz defense and score easily off the glass. 

Paris: The second chances began to rack up for the Thunder in the third quarter. In the opening possession of the half, OKC managed to pull down two offensive rebounds on one possession that ultimately led to a layup by Jalen Williams at the rim. Everyone got involved in the Thunder’s offensive rebounding efforts including Lu Dort and Josh Giddey who both rank in the top 10 among guards in offensive rebounds per game. For the night, the Thunder pulled down 17 offensive rebounds which led to 24 second chance points compared to just 10 for the Jazz. 

Nick: The Thunder’s bench was excellent all night in this one, with all four players scoring in double figures. In the fourth quarter, it was Aaron Wiggins who had a burst of production with his typical tenacity on both ends of the floor. With 11 of his 15 total points coming in the final frame, Wiggins helped slam the door on this Thunder victory. He banged home a corner 3 off a dish from Josh Giddey, then he returned the favor to Giddey on a second chance assist to his fellow second-year guard. In transition, Giddey set up Wiggins with some space to work in the lane, and he scored on a hard-charging drive and finish off the glass and through some massive contact. To officially end this one, Wiggins made a pick-six steal and slam dunk to put OKC up 110-91 with 3:07 to go. 

Paris: In addition to the four bench players, the Thunder also had three of its starters score in double figures. All-in-all seven guys racked up 10 or more points against the Jazz which marks the seventh time this season where the Thunder has reached the mark. It was a total team effort in game number 81 to take down the Jazz – eight players cashed in a 3-pointer, eight players scored nine or more points and five guys had six or more rebounds. 

“There’s going to be times where you go through cold spells shooting the ball. I thought that was the case during that run. I thought we got good looks against the zone that didn’t hit and had a couple untimely turnovers where we had good intentions and we ended up turning it over. We needed the whole 48 and I thought our guys showed good poise and resilience to just kind of play possession after possession for the full game.” –Coach Daigneault

“We obviously know what's at stake, but I thought the group did a great job of responding from the past few nights where we haven't been at our best and I thought tonight, we took the right approach into the game and we've disregarded who we played against, and played our style of basketball for the most part of 48.” –Josh Giddey

After a couple of off days at home, OKC will host the Memphis Grizzlies inside Paycom Center on Easter Sunday for the final game of the regular season.

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Late Surge Lifts Thunder

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Highlights: OKC at GSW

At the beginning of the season, no one would have predicted a team with the Thunder’s age profile would be in a high stakes April game against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, with both teams in the mix for a playoff or play-in berth.&nbsp;

Yet here was the Thunder, on the road in a hostile environment against perhaps the most experienced and battle tested Warriors team, a surefire dynasty in a game that Golden State had to have. Not only was the Thunder in the fight, it brought it first and most consistently throughout the first half. OKC built a 25-15 lead in the first quarter by continually attacking the rim, racking up and-ones and keeping Golden State a step behind on the scoreboard. After Jalen Williams hit a three right before halftime, the Thunder went into the locker room with a 10-point lead.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Historically, the Warriors have been one of the best third quarter teams in the NBA, and once again that proved true as they chipped away at the Thunder’s advantage with second chances and trips to the free throw line. In the game, the Warriors outscored the Thunder 25-9 in second chance points. Golden State outscored the Thunder by 6 in the third, but OKC still had a lead in the first 4 minutes of the fourth quarter.&nbsp;

Golden State’s consistent pressure chiseled away that lead until the game was tied at 115 with just over 6 minutes to go, and for a team like the Warriors who have been through every scenario imaginable, that moment was enough to incite an onslaught. Despite Oklahoma City’s best efforts and all-out energy, Golden State ripped off a 19-5 run to put the game away .

Nick: Before the game, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault noted that getting off to a good start on the road is a huge deal for this young Thunder team. Especially on the road against the defending champion Warriors who are fighting for playoff positioning, the initial stages of this game were always going to be critical for OKC. Over the first six minutes the Thunder ripped off a 17-9 lead as the defense held the Warriors to 3-for-11 shooting and didn’t allow many easy looks at the rim or from behind the 3-point line. Meanwhile, the Thunder went 7-for-13 from the field with 0 turnovers, getting to its desired spots on the floor and then finishing.&nbsp;

Paris: While the Warriors focused on counting by three from behind the arc, the Thunder racked up their three-point plays the old fashioned way –&nbsp;with hard finishes in the paint. Lu Dort dove hard to right side of the lane, took on contact from Steph Curry and finished the layup at the rim for an and-one. It was the second of three and-ones of the first quarter for OKC as Josh Giddey and Isaiah Joe both finished similar plays earlier in the same frame. The Thunder, the younger and less experienced team in the matchup, worked to set a tone of physicality in the leaned into its physicality and setting a tone in the first quarter.&nbsp;

Nick: On a team like the Thunder that prioritizes player development, everywhere you look there are examples of growth from the start of the season until now. Some players look and operate completely differently on the court than they did back in October, and one such player is Ousmane Dieng. Still growing into his body, Dieng has been encouraged by his teammates as he’s worked his player development program all season. He’s added strength and explosiveness, plus gained confidence in his ability to attack the paint. Tonight, he made Warriors guard Jordan Poole pay for being flat-footed on defense. Catching the ball on the left wing, Dieng drove middle and bowled Poole over and then finished an and-one finger roll layup at the rim.&nbsp;

Paris: After scoring four points in the first quarter, Isaiah Joe caught fire in the second. The sharp-shooter knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers - helping to offset the buckets made by the Warriors from deep. In addition to his shooting, Joe also mixed it up on the offensive glass, picking up second chances for his team and even racked up an and-one drive to the rim. Joe went into halftime with 14 points, 10 of which came in the second quarter. Joe shot 4-of-8 from the field to go along with 2-of-3 from deep and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nick: Not only does a team playing against the Warriors need to make shots and get stops, but they also have to make the hustle plays and win the 50-50 balls. On two occasions in the third quarter the Thunder did exactly that. After a defensive three seconds call on Golden State, there was a busted play that sent the ball flying towards the first row under the rim. The biggest man on the floor Jaylin Williams soared across the line and saved the ball inbounds to retain the possession for OKC. Not only did Williams find a teammate, but he hit Jalen Williams who was alert enough to make a tap pass from the left elbow to the right elbow to Josh Giddey, who quickly knocked down a midrange jumper.

Later in the quarter it was Lu Dort who made the scrappy play, fighting for a defensive rebound with Moses Moody, tying him up and then winning the jump ball.&nbsp;

Paris: The Thunder had to fend off a strong punch thrown by the Warriors in the third quarter to the tune of a 14-6 run that threatened its lead of as many as 10 points. The lead got trimmed down to just three points, but a 3-pointer by Dario Saric, a bucket by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a strong defensive stand in between allowed the Thunder to stretch that lead back out to a two-possession game heading into the fourth quarter. The Thunder’s mentality of not flinching in the face of Golden State offensive runs was on full display in that third frame.&nbsp;

Nick: The Thunder knew it needed to get its “burns” into the game against a Warriors team that really tries to load up and split the floor in half. Gashing the defense with cuts from the weak side helped the Thunder put up points and stay in this game through the first 42 minutes. One such cut came from Aaron Wiggins, who flashed into the middle of the lane at the exact moment that Josh Giddey was attacking the left baseline and getting into one of his signature spin moves. On the other side of the spin, Giddey saw Wiggins streaking and instinctively dropped off the pass for an easy two at the rim. Those were the types of layups OKC was getting throughout the night, but dried up over the final six minutes or so.&nbsp;

Paris: The Warriors took their first lead of the game with 8:30 left in the final frame thanks to a pair of free throws by Jordan Poole to make it 110-108. On the very next possession, Jalen Williams attacked the middle of the floor and finished a left-handed layup through contact for the Thunder’s fifth and-one of the night. The play allowed the Thunder to regain its lead while also helping to  tamper the momentum built by the Warriors at a critical point in the game. For the night, Williams posted 19 points on 7-of-14 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep. 

“You're on the road, great environment, you gotta get off to a good start and grab a grip on the game and our guys did a great job of that. We kept the scoreboard moving. I thought our attacks on offense were great. Our defense could have been a little better in the first half. We cleaned up a couple things in the third, got a little loose in the fourth obviously but really pleased with how ready we were to play.

I thought we got their best shot tonight and that's great for our growth. I love it for our guys and I'm really impressed by how our guys are fighting and grinding that out and I'm looking forward to the last two games.” –Mark Daigneault&nbsp;

The last road game of the regular season for the Thunder comes at Utah against the Jazz on Thursday night. After a couple of off days at home, OKC will host the Memphis Grizzlies inside Paycom Center on Easter Sunday for the final game of the regular season.&nbsp;

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Recap: Thunder at Warriors

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