Mark Daigneault didn’t sugarcoat it after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s home opener. The shots weren’t falling, the game got messy, and Denver made Oklahoma City fight for every inch. Still, the Thunder walked out of the Paycom Center with a 96-84 win over the Nuggets, and their head coach liked exactly how they got it done.
Daigneault pointed first to the defensive work against Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Oklahoma City held Murray to six points on 2-for-11 shooting, and Jokic to 13 points on 5-for-19. Combined, the two Nuggets stars finished with 19 points on 7-for-30 from the field.
“For us, that was a game plan in terms of execution, I thought the job we did on Jokic and Murray, specifically, is what won us the game,” Daigneault said. “They missed some shots that they can make, obviously, but we made them earn everything.
It was about clean of a game plan execution you can have, especially this early in the season. And I just thought the guys did a great job on a night where we didn't shoot it great, and it was a muddy game.
We didn't get out of character at any point.
“We just kind of stuck with it and stayed true to how we want to play. And just kind of let the game turn, and trusted our stuff.
A lot of positive things. That's a really positive way to win a game.”
Oklahoma City shot below 40% from the floor and hit only 25.6% of its 3-pointers, but the defense kept the Thunder in control. Denver finished at 37.9% overall and 26.7% from beyond the arc, and Daigneault said the way his team handled the rough patches stood out just as much as the numbers.
“There can be nights where the shot isn't falling and you can just talk yourself into it not being your night. And this team is too competitive to do that most night,” Daigneault said.
“We don't look for excuses. We look for solutions.
That's where the energy, the defense, the toughness [comes from]. It wasn't Denver's night either.
They missed some shots.
“There's always a shot variance to it. But it was a muddy game and I just thought we worked the game, stuck with the game, and it was our energy and our defense, and our toughness that prevailed tonight.
And that's a good sign. It's a good way to win a game.”
The Thunder did have to climb out of a nine-point hole before taking over. Jalen Williams led the way with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points despite a rough shooting night of his own, going 6-for-19 overall and 3-for-11 from deep. Chet Holmgren added 12 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks.
Oklahoma City is now 2-0 and will host the LA Clippers on Sunday.
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