The Oklahoma City Thunder’s depth made a major impact in Game 4 on Sunday, helping them even the series against the Denver Nuggets with a gritty 92-87 win.
Bench players stepped up in a big way – Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins each contributed 11 points, while Alex Caruso chipped in 10.
In total, the five reserves deployed by head coach Mark Daigneault added 16 rebounds, six assists, and three steals, showing how vital their contributions were.
In contrast, the Nuggets leaned heavily on their starters, using only three bench players. Of those, only Russell Westbrook saw extended minutes, but he struggled offensively, making just 2 of his 12 shots.
When asked about his coaching decisions and rotation strategy, Daigneault emphasized the preparation behind his choices.
“It’s never, like, ‘I wonder what we should do now,’” he told Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman.
“It’s always frameworks that we work through during the seasons. We have a pretty good understanding of frameworks of lineups, frameworks of rotations, different levers we can pull. We’re not just throwing stuff against the wall in the highest stakes games.”
Thunder Notes: Bench, Dort, Murray, Closing Out, Lottery https://t.co/4QKEptnUWf pic.twitter.com/Kr6u5IXH64
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) May 13, 2025
