The Oklahoma City Thunder opened the Western Conference semifinal with a 108-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday at Paycom Center, but head coach Mark Daigneault focused less on the margin and more on execution across stretches of the game.
“Just from the second half especially. I thought we settled in defensively,” Daigneault said. “We had some game plan type breakdowns early. I thought we tightened that up and got a feel for how they were trying to attack us in the second half, which was helpful.”
Oklahoma City allowed 53 first-half points but adjusted after halftime, forcing 17 turnovers and limiting Los Angeles to 41.7% shooting overall. Daigneault pointed to defensive corrections as a turning point in controlling the game flow.
Offensively, he said the performance was uneven despite efficient shooting numbers. “Offensively, I didn’t think it was our best night. I thought our shot making kind of bailed us out,” he said. “We had a high percentage, but it wasn’t our cleanest floor game.”
He added that the opponent’s defensive changes created disruption. “They junked the game up. Credit them. They threw some curve balls and it just seemed to throw us off kilter,” Daigneault said. “Nothing we haven’t seen, but they were moving it pretty quickly in terms of scheme to scheme.”
Oklahoma City shot 49.4% from the field and made 13 three-pointers, but Daigneault emphasized the need for quicker adjustments. “We just have to calibrate that quicker, attack it cleaner,” he said. “But series doesn’t end at Game 1. You got to get better game over game and that’s our challenge. That’s their challenge.”
He also framed the win within the context of playoff variability. “You can’t be greedy with a playoff win,” Daigneault said. “And that was not a perfect game. There’s a lot of playoff games that are not perfect.”
Chet Holmgren’s 24-point, 12-rebound performance stood out as a key factor in the paint. Daigneault linked that production to spacing and timing. “Some of it is him learning spacing opportunities to find those plays. Some of it is us learning him and positions to put him in,” he said. “Those are valuable plays.”
He also noted contributions from Ajay Mitchell and bench units that helped maintain pace during non-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander minutes, describing the group as steady in defensive matchups and transition execution.
As the series shifts to Game 2, Daigneault’s focus remained on adjustment speed, defensive consistency, and limiting offensive disruption against a veteran opponent that he said will continue to evolve its coverages.
