How OKC left Marc Daigneault in ‘love’ after Cavs blowout with just 10 players

Head coach Mark Daigneault‘s shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder reduced to 10 players in the second half of a 126-104 win against the Cleveland Cavs. Out came Thunder’s Alec Caruso and Jailin Williams game with matching injuries, forcing Daigneault to go deep into his bench, which did not disappoint. Oklahoma City entered the match without All-Star Jaylen Williams and their starting center Isaiah Hartenstein.

The Thunder’s offense took off in the fourth quarter, scoring a whopping 45 points in the final frame and outscoring the Cavs by 20 en route to a 22-point victory. After the win, Daigneault thought about it his team’s response to adversity.

“What I love about this team is that we have a group of guys who see those types of setbacks as a challenge,” Daigneault said. “And that became our challenge tonight with just Chet in the frontcourt. So we played a little bit (for) a lot of minutes. Kenrich did a great job, but the whole team did a great job. Even with Allen there, we were small in the first half and the guys really battled.

“Then, I thought, huge minutes from Wiggins, Isaiah Joe; those guys were big tonight. Not just the shooting and the offense, but the way they moved the ball, and the way they defended and stuck their noses in the scrimmage. It was a great overall team win,” Daigneault concluded.

Shai Giljus-Alexander’s 30 points led five Thunder players in double figures, including Chet Holmgren (28 points), Lou Dort (18 points) and Isaiah Joe, whose 16 points led the second unit. Oklahoma City shot 56% from the floor, including 23-of-47 (49%) from deep, while its defense allowed 23 points off 21 turnovers.

Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams give up in Thunder’s win against Cavs

Hot on the heels of Thunder head coach Marc Daigneault’s loss Jalen Williams for at least a few weeks amid a strained hamstring injury, Jaylen Williams, who started in place of Jalen, suffered a back injury against the Cavs’ Jarrett Allen. Jaylin took a nasty fall after trying to dunk over Allen, who blocked the shot and sent Williams flying. Alex Caruso stepped on teammate Lou Dort’s leg, leaving the veteran linebacker with a groin injury, the team announced.

There is no update on the status of Kaur and Williams before facing the Bucks on Wednesday, as there is a good chance the Thunder will finish their four-game road trip with a very thin lineup.