Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is aware of life with out Chet HolmgrenIt has been a problem for his group, however till Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, it hadn’t stopped him from profitable. Holmgren fractured a pelvic bone within the first quarter of a 127-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Since then, the Daigneault guys had had three consecutive victories earlier than the Thunder 121-119 defeat in opposition to the Mavericks.
For Daigneault, that’s sufficient proof to indicate how dominant the Thunder protection stays regardless of the absence of its seven-foot heart within the beginning 5.
“It began on the perimeter. That is the place our power should lie at the moment. We’ve got superb defensive gamers. We have been actually good all week. I assumed tonight they have been only a higher perimeter group,” Daigneault stated. “I assumed they led us and have been capable of get one of the best out of us there. And we’re going to surrender different advantages now. So we actually want to have the ability to financial institution them for now. However they have been two factors higher. It wasn’t an enormous rating. So, we have been clearly only a few performs away from with the ability to win the sport.
Mark Daigneault addresses the Thunder’s perimeter protection
Earlier than Sunday’s loss, with out Chet Holmgren, Mark Daigneault’s Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder have been defending the perimeter at a excessive stage. After limiting the New Orleans Pelicans’ beginning lineup to six of twenty-two in a 106-88 victory, the Thunder held the Phoenix Suns to 24.3 % capturing from behind the arc in Friday’s victory.
With out famous person Luka Doncic, the Mavericks related on 11 of 27 threes (40.7%). PJ Washington scored a team-high 27 factors, together with 3 of 4 from deep, and Kyrie Irving scored 23, together with 3 of 6 from three.
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When a reporter requested Daigneault concerning the Thunder’s point-of-attack protection, he was trustworthy in sharing his disappointment with Oklahoma Metropolis’s strategy.
“Not nice. That is most likely one of many issues we have to get to the drafting board on. We’ll surrender some performs across the basket; we will surrender an offensive rebound right here or there. We have to acquire the perimeter now. And what we did all week was we received the perimeter, and I assumed Dallas received the perimeter tonight.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 factors on 13 of 19 makes an attempt and made 9 of 11 free throws. Jalen Williams completed with 27 factors, 5 assists and 5 rebounds, and Lu Dort added 18 factors, together with 4 of 9 from deep and 5 rebounds in Sunday’s loss.
