Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault emphasized his team’s commitment and resilience following a 124-116 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena.
“Really happy with the level of competition and resilience in the third quarter,” Daigneault said, praising his side for keeping the game close despite being short on players. He added: “One play got away from us a little bit… the group that started the fourth quarter did a great job of getting that under 10 and getting it within striking distance.”
The Thunder finished without five of their top six scorers, but Daigneault highlighted the performances of those who played. “The guys that played tonight put it on the line… we got 30 second chance points tonight and really dominated that category,” he said, crediting the hustle and execution on the boards for keeping the team competitive.
Jaylin Williams’ effort received special praise from the coach. “He was unreal tonight… great toughness, obviously great offense… he was another great hub for us tonight,” Daigneault said, noting that Williams stayed in the game despite an injury in the first quarter and led the team with a career-high 30 points.
Daigneault also highlighted the contributions of role players: “Kenrich and Barnhizer, once Carlson went out, we played small with them and they cut… a lot of good individual efforts, really good team efforts.” He emphasized that the team’s collective effort, especially in terms of attracting and converting sales, was a positive outcome despite the loss.
“Yeah, I mean, there’s a reason we were close there… we turned around and converted turnovers, hit a pretty good volume of threes,” Daigneault added, reflecting on the Thunder’s second-half adjustments against a physically strong Pistons defense.
The coach praised Cason Wallace and Luguentz Dort as they returned to the floor in critical moments, stating that their presence helped bridge the gap while Cade Cunningham was in the game. “Really good job by the guys who eradicated that,” Daigneault said, highlighting the team’s determination despite the setbacks.
Oklahoma City fell to 45-15 but showed competitive resilience, with Jaylin Williams adding a career-high 30 points and Wallace contributing 23 points. The Thunder will host the Denver Nuggets on Friday, aiming to build on the individual performances and team strength that Daigneault praised.
#Mark #Daigneault #praises #Thunders #grit #loss #Pistons #TalkBasket.net