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Mark Daigneault admits Spurs’ defense is unlike anything Thunder has seen this season
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After losing to the San Antonio Spurs for a third time in 12 days, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault has had more than a day to digest what went awry for the defending champions. During his postgame media availability, Daigneault gave Victory Wembanyama and the Spurs their flowers , while emphasizing San Antonio 's approach extends well beyond the All-Star center.
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At Thunder practice, Daigneault revealed that the Spurs' defense stood out most in Thursday's loss, he said, per Thunder Wire's Clemente Almanza.
"I'm very careful after a game not to discredit the opponent because every single win is an earned win, and they earned the win," Daigneault said. "To simplify it down to makes and misses would be oversimplifying it and taking credit away from the fact that they came in here and got that game with unbelievable collective will, and aggression the way they did. So, hat tipped to them."
Then, Daigenault discussed the contrast he saw in the Thunder's 130-110 loss on the road on Tuesday compared to a 117-102 Christmas Day loss at the Paycom Center.
"I thought our offensive process live and then, looking at the numbers, in the film, was better at home than it was at San Antonio," Daigneault added. "In San Antonio, we didn't score the ball very well because we didn't get very good shots. Here, we got some good ones that didn't go down, and we just have to have the dicipline to double down on that, and just trust that, over time, that will regress to the mean, and we'll win more than we don't when we do that, or we'll score more than we don't.
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"Their shooting performance also had to do with our defense. They did not field us the same way that a lot of opponents do — that's a credit to them, and the way they attacked. But, like I said, it doesn't come down to makes and misses. They earned the win. They deserved to win. We have no problems acknowledging that," Daigneault concluded.
The Spurs handed the Thunder its first home loss (14-1) of the season.
Mark Daigneault on Spurs without Victor Wembanyama
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was impressed by the Spurs' approach , stressing during his postgame media availability how well the Spurs out-executed the defending champions, with or without All-Star Victor Wembanyama.
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"They're a really good team. He's obviously a very impactful player, but he missed a good amount of time, and they didn't miss a beat when he was out," Daigneault said. "Then, when he's off the floor, they don't miss a beat when he's out. So, it's not surprising at all. They got really good players. They play well as a team. They're well-coached.
"They execute really well, and he's obviously impactful, and adds to that. But it's not like him and the rest of the team at all. They've got a very good team," Daigneault concluded.
The Thunder will host the 76ers on Sunday.
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Related: Alex Caruso blunt 'hit or miss' take on Thunder's mindset after Spurs loss
