With their backs against the wall, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault knows the biggest challenge ahead of his team. However, a horrid performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t make matters easier.
On Saturday, the head coach rationalized the faith he has in Gilgeous-Alexander, despite the bad game.
“He’s the man at that,” Daigneault said via Joel Lorenzi on X (formerly Twitter). “I never worry about him there. … when he fails, he takes it on the chin.”
Leadership and accountability are major elements of Oklahoma City’s team. Gilgeous-Alexander has been the epitome of that. The team follows his lead, whether after a bad loss or a quality win.
This semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets has been a tough test. Both losses were within a possession or two. However, the one win was a dominant one.
Funny enough, the Thunder achieved NBA history with an 87-point first half. That marked the most points in a half in playoff history.
Either way, this was the first rough performance for Gilgeous-Alexander. The Nuggets forced him into bad shots, and had guys like Jamal Murray stepping up defensively.
They were low to the ground, didn’t use their hands, and made him work for nearly every basket. Not to mention, Denver’s main goal was to have everyone who wasn’t the MVP contender beat them.
Mark Daigneault isn’t worried about Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Despite being down 2-1, Oklahoma City doesn’t seem phased. They had a similar loss in Game 1, which stunned many. However, their lone win was a historical one.
In that game, Gilgeous-Alexander posted 34 points in 31 minutes. He’s one of the best scorers in the league, and does it effortlessly.
Let alone, the +51 in the box score during the win shows how he influences winning.
At the end of the game, the Thunder guard took some contested shots, and Daigneault mentioned that “He got caught in some situations where I thought he took some tough ones.”
Some of it was the defense. Some of it was him trying to make something out of nothing. No matter what, though, there doesn’t seem to be an issue being down.
Funny enough, Gilgeous-Alexander was caught smiling while walking through the tunnel. He had a quality game 1, and then followed it up with an elite performance.
Could the same happen in Game 4?
Whether it does or doesn’t, one thing is crystal clear. Daigneault is going to roll with his guy, as long as he is the head coach of the Thunder.
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