Why Marc Daigneault isn’t focused on a 16-game winning streak

Oklahoma. and home – Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault snapped an unprecedented 16-game winning streak after eliminating the Phoenix Suns in a 138-89 victory in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. The The Thunder’s near-perfect start extended its record to 24-1tying the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best start in NBA history through 25 games.

However, extending the Thunder’s streak was never a priority, according to Daigneault, who was instrumental in securing back-to-back wins one game at a time. Daigneault gave an honest answer when asked by a reporter what was the secret to Grom’s emphatic performance 16-game winning streak.

“Not focusing on the streak,” Daigneault said. “You just have to play the next possession, be better the next day, win the next quarter and compete in the next game. If you do that and you’re present in the process, sometimes you look up and you get a certain amount of games in a row. But we definitely have to realize that we still have a lot of improvement. We have a lot of things to maintain and challenge.

“We have a long season ahead of us. But the guys have done a great job of staying very present in the season, so far, competing at this point, and that has put us in a good position,” Daigneault concluded.

Marc Daigneault on what’s critical during a 16-game winning streak: “Not focusing on the streak…

We certainly have to realize that we still have a lot of room for improvement. We have many things to maintain, many competitive challenges ahead of us” pic.twitter.com/01DJIijkt1i

— Joshua Pavon (@joe_svai) December 11, 2025

Mark Daigneault’s Thunder led the win wire-to-wire as the Suns never built a lead all night. Oklahoma City’s biggest lead of the game reached 53 points in the final frame. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 3-for-4 from deep and 3-for-3 from the free throw line.

Chet Holmgren finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Jaylen Williams added 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Lou Dort scored a dozen points, including three three-pointers and four rebounds.

The Thunder stats prove his 24-1 dominance this season

Defense champion Thunder is racking up staggering stats reflecting their dominant start to the 2025-26 campaign, including how long they held a 20-point lead against various opponents. Compared to how often the Thunder have fallen behind this season, that ratio is eye-popping, as illustrated by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

“The Oklahoma City Thunder have led by at least 20 points for 264 minutes, 17 seconds this season. They’ve trailed for 249 minutes, 53 seconds. Not bad,” Bontemps told ESPN’s Matt Williams.

The Thunder will face the Spurs in the semifinals of the NBA Cup on Saturday.