Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault highlighted his team’s defensive consistency after Tuesday’s 119-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. “We had our moments where we weren’t as sharp, but we got it on track for the most part, executed really well,” he said, emphasizing the importance of maintaining defensive stamina for all 48 minutes.
Daigneault credited his team’s offense to their preparation and understanding of San Antonio. “I thought tonight we continued to our understanding of that team…your margin for error is thin against them,” he said.
The coach singled out the bench for its impact in the third quarter. “Caruso, Jalen Williams, K-Rich, Mitchell, and Isaiah Joe…they brought major juice tonight. They won their minutes, they played their minutes really, really hard,” he said, pointing to a 22-7 run that pushed the Thunder ahead 95-76.
Energy, according to Daigneault, is crucial for team execution. “If you want to win the game, you’ve got to bring a certain compete level and a certain togetherness…from there you can focus on executing fundamentals,” he said. He also praised Kenrich Williams’ physical defense on Victor Wembanyama, calling him “a disruptor…he’s physical…that’s how he plays.”
Daigneault explained how forcing Wembanyama to catch the ball away from the rim was part of applying fundamentals. “The last times we played him we were a little jumpy…instead of trusting our team defense, and I thought tonight we did a better job of trusting our fundamentals,” he said.
The coach reflected on differences from previous matchups, referencing a Christmas game. “I thought the biggest difference…was a defensive thing. They had to work harder for their points. Our pressure got into the game way more tonight,” Daigneault said.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 34 points, extending his streak to 111 consecutive games with at least 20 points, while Jalen Williams added 20 points. Chet Holmgren anchored the paint with eight points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.
The Thunder, now 34-7, improved to a league-best record at the midpoint of the season and extended their winning streak to four games despite missing Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort. San Antonio falls to 27-13, losing six of their last 10 games. The teams meet again on February 4 in San Antonio.
