Mark Daigneault praises the offensive plays of SGA Jalen Williams after the win against the Rockets

Amide Oklahoma City Thunder All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams‘ offensive tackles, head coach Mark Daigneault watched the tandem force their way to victory in a 111-91 road victory against Houston Rockets. Chet Holmgren received all-star praise from Gilgeous-Alexanderas the starting forward’s defense helped the Thunder hold the Rockets to 16 points in the final frame.

Daigneault praised Gilgeous-Alexander adaptation as a facilitator that included him finding opportunities for his teammates on one end of the floor while making defensive stops on the other.

“He had a couple of turnovers against it early because I think we calibrated ourselves to the way he was defending. Then, after that, he had a great combination,” Daigneault said. “We want him to try to beat some of those coverages. We don’t want him to get double teams all the time. We’re trying to give him room to split it. Turn the corner. I thought he did a good job of that, and then when he’s stopped, he respects the coverage and throws the ball out.

“Then, we can play four-on-three. So he did a great job. (Jalen Williams) was 2-for-11, and he had 10 assists. I thought both of those guys — Houston limited his attempts — kind of put all their eggs in that basket. And those guys did a great job of moving around, and letting other guys make plays with advantages.”

Gilgeus-Alexander finished with 20 points, four assists and two blocks. Holmgren had 18 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals, and Williams added six points on 2-for-11 shooting, 10 assists and five rebounds. The Thunder took advantage of the Rockets shooting just 34% from the floor, including 29% from deep.

Despite Houston outrebounding the Thunder 60-44, Thunder coach Mark Daigno watched Oklahoma City’s suffocating defense thrive in a fourth quarter that started with a two-point lead before the defending champions forced a double-digit lead that remained in place until the final buzzer.

Chet Holmgren receives all-star honors from the Thunder’s SGA

Thunder forward Chet Holmgren continues to strengthen his stance to make his first All-Star selection this season. After Jalen Williams backed Holmgren for All-Star selectionShai Gilgeous-Alexander followed suit Thursday night.

For Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren is undoubtedly an All-Star this season.

“Chet is definitely an All-Star,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “From the moment he stepped on the court with the basketball team, we were number one in the West. That’s no accident.”

Holmgren is averaging career highs in points (17.9), rebounds (8.4) and field goal percentage (57.5%) while still shooting 37.4%, as Chet has maintained a 37% 3-point clip in all three active seasons of his career.