Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed the challenges his team faced in Sunday’s 103-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Paycom Center. “It took us a while to get going. Then in the third quarter, we got some good energy going and even built a lead at one point. But credit them, they made plays and played with great energy throughout the game,” he said.
Daigneault discussed Toronto’s defensive focus on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “They were obviously super aggressive on him. I thought he did a really good job moving off it early. We generated pretty good shots off of that,” he added.
On late-game execution, Daigneault stressed fundamentals over mistakes. “They obviously made some shots and plays. Often when you get down to that point, it comes down to time management, clock management. We did a decent job and gave ourselves a chance,” he said.
He also addressed the final seconds strategy. “With eight seconds left, there’s a three-second differential. Our philosophy is to give ourselves a chance for a steal or a jump ball. The execution of the foul and waiting to foul was according to plan,” Daigneault explained.
Daigneault praised the effort of several players despite the close loss. “Shai made the right plays. Kenrich gave us a huge lift. J-Will gave us good minutes. Lu did a great job on Ingram. All the guys dug in and competed,” he said.
The Thunder, missing Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Ajay Mitchell, led 81-79 entering the fourth quarter but could not hold off Toronto. Shai finished with 24 points, while Dort added a season-high 19. Kenrich Williams scored 15, and Chet Holmgren contributed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Toronto’s balanced attack featured Immanuel Quickley with 23 points and 11 rebounds, R.J. Barrett with 14 points, and Scottie Barnes recording 10 points and 10 boards. Barnes’ late block on Holmgren preserved the Raptors’ 101-99 lead, and Quickley converted crucial free throws in the final eight seconds.
Oklahoma City falls to 37-10 while Toronto improves to 29-19, earning their fourth straight win. The Thunder will host New Orleans on Tuesday, and the Raptors travel home to face the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
