Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed reporters Sunday ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets.
Coming off a 4-0 sweep of the injury-depleted Memphis Grizzlies, the top-seeded Thunder now face a Denver squad that eliminated the Clippers with a dominant Game 7 victory.
Daigneault praised the Nuggets as a “great team” with “great players” and emphasized the continuity between both squads, noting the long-standing familiarity built over recent seasons.
The Thunder and Nuggets split the regular season series 2-2, though key players including Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren were in different roles or absent during those meetings.
Daigneault cautioned against reading too much into those outcomes, pointing to varying availability and contextual factors, such as back-to-back scheduling and mid-season roster changes.
“Regular season games are data points,” Daigneault said. “But it’s not a direct through line to a playoff series.”
He identified Denver’s signature two-man action—centered around Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray—as a critical challenge due to the pair’s chemistry and versatility in pick-and-roll scenarios.
“When Murray’s coming off, he’s a threat, which gives Jokic longer closeouts,” Daigneault explained. “They kind of finish each other’s sentences out there.”
Daigneault also addressed the presence of Russell Westbrook, whose energy and scoring off the bench helped swing Game 7 against Los Angeles.
He recalled Westbrook’s impact in their last meeting in Denver, where the veteran sparked a Nuggets comeback and “elevated their energy.”
The Oklahoma City coach acknowledged the emotional layer of Westbrook returning to play playoff basketball in front of his former fan base but downplayed any distraction.
“We’ve played against him for five seasons,” Daigneault said. “When the ball goes up in the air, he’ll be ready to compete for Denver, and we’ll be ready to compete for Oklahoma City.”
Despite Denver undergoing a late-season coaching change, Daigneault said the Nuggets’ “overall integrity” remains unchanged, with only minor shifts in allocation and emphasis.
He also highlighted the growth of young contributors like AJ Mitchell, linking him to a developmental pipeline that previously elevated Lou Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe.
“There’s a lot of guys on the roster he can point to that started in that position or further back,” he said. “Hopefully that puts some wind in their sails.”
When asked about the possibility of the MVP announcement coinciding with the series—potentially placing Jokic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the spotlight—Daigneault dismissed the idea as a distraction.
“Both of them are going to be fully invested in the series,” he said. “That’s a supplement to the series, but it’s really not part of the series at all.”
Game 1 between the Thunder and Nuggets tips off Monday night at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
