Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Joel Lorenzi: A lot of confusion here now that we’re at half. Mark Daigneault is at center court with John Goble, presumably to understand the order of ejections. Jalen Williams and Lu Dort also looked to be arguing with the rest of the crew before being ushered away by staff.
Justin Martinez: Asked Mark Daigneault about the energy Jalen Williams has provided from the sideline while dealing with numerous injuries this season: “He’s the man. We have a great group of guys where they root for each other’s success. I think he’s certainly giving himself to the team by being like that, and I also think it helps them work through their own adversities. It gives them a sense of purpose. It connects them to the group. Those injuries can detach you from the rest of the team at times just because you’re on your own plan, you’re not necessarily at all of the practices and you might not be on the road all of the time. So staying connected, I think, helps those guys’ mental. Hopefully it’s helping him. He’s certainly helping us. He’s a great teammate.”
Asked Mark Daigneault about the energy Jalen Williams has provided from the sideline while dealing with numerous injuries this season:
— Justin Martinez (@Justintohoops) March 14, 2026
“He’s the man. We have a great group of guys where they root for each other’s success. I think he’s certainly giving himself to the team by… pic.twitter.com/pgbtuwtKWA
Justin Martinez: Asked Mark Daigneault about the composure Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shows on a consistent basis: “He’s the coolest guy in the room. I’ve said that before. He’s got great poise. Everything that happens for him, it’s like he expected it to happen, including the rise that he’s had as a player. I can’t say enough about the guy.”
Bennett Durando: Thunder coach Mark Daigneault pregame: “I do know Lu acknowledged that the play was unnecessary. I don’t think my comments, if I’m being honest, helped after the game. I thought the timing of them was insensitive. I was in the mode of protecting my team moving forward.”
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault acknowledges the great job he did over the offseason to improve his body, but he doesn’t quite see Mitchell’s breakout as a leap. “I think if you really dig into how he played last season, it’s not,” Daigneault told R.org in his pregame press conference in Cleveland. “It would be in context. It looks like a jump optically, but he was kinda on this trajectory last year."
Advertisement
Dustin Dopirak: Rick Carlisle asked, at length, about, let's say, playing for the lottery and whether that ultimately hurts coaches. "It didn't hurt Mark Daigneault." Also points out that the Pistons built their team on the draft.
Asked for his response to these comments from Denver’s David Adelman, OKC coach Mark Daigneault spoke broadly about the respect the Thunder have for the Nuggets. https://t.co/vmNHrUUXHL pic.twitter.com/I9XPCuPcKh
— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) March 2, 2026
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Lu Dort’s flagrant foul on Nuggets star Nikola Jokić, during Friday’s game was one thing. The response that came from the Thunder’s side in the aftermath was another, as the Nuggets are particularly displeased with Thunder coach Mark Daigneault’s response following the game, a team source said.
"I will say this: If [Williams] is running up the floor and gets tripped, we expect a flagrant 2 from this point forward," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "That's all. If that's the precedent, if that becomes a malicious play and flagrant 2 is the line in the sand on that, we would expect that if it's [Williams]. We would expect that if it's anybody. And if that's the case, we're good." Asked if he believed the play was ruled a flagrant 2 because the foul was committed against a three-time MVP, Daigneault said: "No, I'm not going to answer the question like that. I said what I needed to say about it."
Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault explained why superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat out overtime against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. In a press conference after the game, Daigneault said the decision was made due to health considerations, as SGA is recovering from an abdominal strain injury. “We actually discussed that situation with both him and [Isaiah Hartenstein] before the game," Daigneault said. "I understand it’s a little unorthodox, but at the end of the day, we’re trying to prioritize the health of our players," he explained.
Advertisement
The Pistons faced a shell of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night in a possible NBA Finals preview. By the time it ended, with East-leading Detroit winning 124-116, the Thunder were without their top six scorers. "We obviously had the wind in our faces a little out there tonight," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "I thought it was a really good effort by the guys who played to gut that one out." Oklahoma City started the game without its four leading scorers -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen), Jalen Williams (hamstring), Ajay Mitchell (abdomen) and Chet Holmgren (back) -- and sixth-leading scorer Isaiah Hartenstein (calf).
Clemente Almanza: Mark Daigneault on Isaiah Joe’s recent stretch: “It’s been so good for us that we’re thinking about what are the situations and circumstances we need to exist independent of which guys are down. I think when we get whole, there’s room for that.”
Clemente Almanza: Mark Daigneault on Jalen Williams’ hamstring strains helping him feel better about his wrist: “Objectively, during that period of time, he was taking more shots with the wrist in practice than he had at any other point in the season… He had a look of confidence that was really exciting to see… It’s better than it’s ever been since the surgery. It’s the best it’s been right now. It’ll only continue to improve.”