Thunder’s Mark Daigneault downplays wild SGA free-throw differentials

OKLAHOMA CITY — For the second consecutive game, head coach Mark Daigneault saw the Oklahoma City Thunder’s free-throw shooting differentials stand out in a box score that showed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attempted only two free throws. After Gilgeous-Alexander attempted a whopping 26 free throws in a 141-135 double-overtime win against the Indiana Pacers, he went a perfect 4-for-4 in a 117-100 win against the Atlanta Hawks.

Since then, Gilgeous-Alexander has attempted one pair of free throws in each of the Thunder’s back-to-back games against the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings. After Tuesday’s 107-101 win against the Kings, which gives Oklahoma City its perfect 5-0 start as defending champions, Daigenault downplayed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s vast free-throw shooting differentials of late in each of the Thunder’s recent wins.

“It’s five games into the season. It’s early in the year for every team. It’s early in the year for the officiating,” Daigneault said. “We need to get better right now — that’s what we need to focus on. We need to focus on what we can control. That’s how you get better. And we can’t control how they call the game. So, when we go in, we try to calibrate it as best we can and adjust to the whistle. If there’s a trend that stacks up over the course of games, I might be more apt to say something.

“But, it’s very early, and we have a lot that we need to address. So, we’re not trying to grade out the officiating at this point.”

While it’s difficult for Thunder fans to fight the feeling that NBA officials could be swallowing their whistles amid an overwhelming response to Gilgeous-Alexander’s 25+ free-throw attempts in the first week of the regular season, it is still early. Daigneault’s point of waiting for a significant trend is valid only five games into an 82-game regular season.

After Daigneault and the Thunder’s championship run last year, they know it’s still a very long road toward the postseason.

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