Mark Daigneault reveals the biggest reason for the Bucks’ stunning upset

ByNBAUSA


OKLAHOMA CITY — Coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks team 110-93 at home on Thursday. The The Thunder faced the Bucks without Jaylen Williams and All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed his fifth straight game with an abdominal injury.

After the loss, Daigneault pointed to the Bucks’ defense stymied the Thunder’s offense early and often throughout the night as Milwaukee’s lead grew to its biggest score of the night, 24 points.

“We just couldn’t get any offensive rhythm going tonight for whatever reason,” Daigneault said. “I thought there were a lot of possessions where we weren’t very organized, which takes you back to the beginning of the possession. Milwaukee did a great job; obviously, they outplayed us all night. But, obviously, it just wasn’t our best night. But I thought our process let us down on a lot of plays.”

While the Bucks’ defense held the Thunder to under 40% from the floor (37.3%), they drained 17 3-pointers in a well-balanced offense. Seven Bucks players scored in double figures, including a team-high 19 points from the former Thunder forward acquired before last week’s trade deadline.

AJ Green connected on six 3-pointers on his way to 17 points. Bobby Portis added a double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds), and Kyle Kuzma added 14 points. Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, who earned his first All-Star nod ahead of the holiday weekend, led Oklahoma City with 16 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

The Thunder were also missing their starting center, Isaiah Hartenstein, his backup in Branden Carlson and backup guard Ajayi Mitchell.

Mark Daigneault talks Nikola Topic ahead of Thunder debut

Thunder head coach Marc Daigneault watches his team take on the Houston Rockets during the second half at the Pike Center
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke about the long journey of Nikola Topić yes debuted in the NBA. After Topic lost his rookie season to an ACL injury, the 2024 first-round pick was diagnosed with testicular cancer after the Thunder’s first preseason game in October.

For Daigneault, Topic’s an extraordinary journey set the stage for an unforgettable night in Paicom Center.

“He’s done an incredible job in the face of a lot of different obstacles and adversity,” Daigneault said. “For a young person, he’s shown tremendous resilience and optimism, professionalism, consistency, steadfastness; he’s an impressive young guy. And before that he did an ACL (injury). Then he turned around and had another major setback. I’m incredibly happy he was able to dress tonight.”

The Thunder enter the All-Star break with the NBA’s best record — 42-14.





2026-02-13 04:53:00

Similar Posts