Mark Daigneault praises Thunder for ‘muddy’ win over Nuggets appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
OKLAHOMA CITY — After the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antoino Spurs on Tuesday, head coach Mark Daigneault watched his team overcome a poor shooting performance to top the Denver Nuggets 96-84 in their home opener at the Paycom Center. From limiting one All-Star center in Victor Wembanyama, the Thunder contained Nuggets All-Star center Nikola Jokic, before erasing a nine-point deficit to cruise to a double-digit victory.
For Daigneault, the Thunder’s defense limiting Jamal Murray (six points, 2-for-11) and Jokic (13 points, 5-of-19) to a combined 19 points on 7-for-30 shooting made all the difference despite shooting below 40% from the field, and 25.6% from deep.
“For us, that was a game plan in terms of execution, I thought the job we did on Jokic and Murray, specifically, is what won us the game,” Daigneault said. “They missed some shots that they can make, obviously, but we made them earn everything. It was about clean of a game plan execution you can have, especially this early in the season. And I just thought the guys did a great job on a night where we didn’t shoot it great, and it was a muddy game. We didn’t get out of character at any point.
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“We just kind of stuck with it and stayed true to how we want to play. And just kind of let the game turn, and trusted our stuff. A lot of positive things. That’s a really positive way to win a game.”
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised his team for sticking with the defensive schemes that would eventually catapault his team’s offense. The Nuggets shot at a 37.9% clip against Oklahoma City, including 26.7% from beyond the 3-point arc.
“There can be nights where the shot isn’t falling and you can just talk yourself into it not being your night. And this team is too competitive to do that most night,” Daigneault said. “We don’t look for excuses. We look for solutions. That’s where the energy, the defense, the toughness [comes from]. It wasn’t Denver’s night either. They missed some shots.
“There’s always a shot variance to it. But it was a muddy game and I just thought we worked the game, stuck with the game, and it was our energy and our defense, and our toughness that prevailed tonight. And that’s a good sign. It’s a good way to win a game.”
Jalen Williams led with a game-high 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 17 points on a dreadful 6-for-19 shooting, including 3-for-11 from deep, and Chet Holmgren dominated the glass, pulling down 17 rebounds to go with his 12 points, and four blocks.
The Thunder (2-0) will host the LA Clippers at the Paycom Center on Sunday.
Related: Charles Barkley dubs Thunder ‘team to beat’ after disposing of Nuggets