OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault says the Denver Nuggets’ defensive coverage on his All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a tremendous difference in Monday’s 140-127 loss. After All-Star Jalen Williams had suffered a hip injury before halftime, he was ruled out for the rest of the night. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-7 from deep.
At the same time, All-Star Nikola Jokic’s 35 points led six Nuggets players in double-digits, including Jamal Murray’s 34-point performance. After the loss, Daigneault pointed out Denver’s unprecedented defense on the NBA’s leading scorer, hindering Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance.
“Well, what we saw tonight with them is somewhat new. We haven’t seen this very much. So, credit them. They had a good scheme there,” Daigneault said. “They threw us off rhythm to a degree. We scored enough in the game to win. I do want to note that. With the defense, it’s not like typical denials that you normally get out of man-to-man, like you see against Houston or New Orleans. It was a little different. They’re like zoning, trapping him when he’s got the ball, denying him when he doesn’t. It was specialize for him.”
For Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it’s a testament to his dominance on offense. For Mark Daigneault, it’s a wrinkle the Thunder need to prepare for in the future.
“I always look at that as a compliment to Shai, first of all, and a compliment to our team when a team gives you something like that that’s new,” Daigneault added. “And now, it’s on me and our staff and the team to find solutions for that. And we’ll need to work on that, for if we see this again.”
Each of the Nuggets’ starting lineup members scored 14+ points, including Russell Westbrook, who started for injured forward Aaron Gordon. Denver also shot at a 60.5% clip from the floor, including 56.3% from deep on 18-of-32 attempts, as the Nuggets avenged Sunday’s 127-103 loss to the Thunder.
Jalen Williams ruled out of the second half for Thunder
Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams suffered a right hip injury in the second quarter of Monday’s loss and never returned after halftime. Williams finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 attempts, including 1-of-3 from deep, six assists, and two rebounds in 14 minutes.
Lu Dort’s team-high 26 points led the Thunder’s offense. He also had seven rebounds, four steals, and one block, while Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, and Alex Caruso’s 13 points led the bench.
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