Mark Daigneault states the obvious after the Spurs beat OKC again with a ‘statement’ game

After the worst defeat of the season, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault says the San Antonio Spurs“A ‘statement’ win gives his team plenty to learn between now and Christmas.” After the Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received a “Flopper” chant from Spurs fansmaybe a little home cooking at the Paicom Center will help the defending champions in their second game in three days against San Antonio.

After the loss, Daigneault tipped his hat on the Spurs’ efforts to outplay the Thunder, he said, per The Oklahoman’s Justin Martinez.

“Kudos to them. They played great on both ends of the floor from an energy and execution standpoint. They deserve to win the game all the way. Obviously, that was a statement about the way they played,” Daigneault said.

“They were the better team tonight. We can learn from that. Obviously, we’ve got them in two days. We’ve got some lessons from the game to take away and, obviously, we’ve got to be a better team if we’re going to beat them on Christmas Day.”

The Thunder’s 130-110 loss to the Spurs is the defending champions’ worst loss of the season. With the All-Star Spurs, Victor Wembanyama (12 points, five rebounds) coming off the bench, Stephon Castle (24 points), Harrison Barnes (20 points) and Devin Vassell (17 points) led the starting offensive production. Keldon Johnson (25 points) finished with a team high.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points and eight assists. Jalen Williams added 17 points, eight assists and two steals, and Lou Dort finished with 15 points on 5 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc. In a tight game through three quarters, the Spurs outscored the Thunder 43-28 in the final frame to close out the 20-point victory.

Thunder’s Lou Dort reacts after Mark Daigneault’s ‘faith’ try

Thunder head coach Marc Daigneault wasn’t worried about Lou Dort’s strugglesdespite entering Monday’s game against the Grizzlies shooting 29.8% from 3-point range and averaging 6.3 points in December. Dort turned things around this week, scoring 13 and 15 points on a combined 10-for-17 shooting, including 8-of-14 from deep against the Grizzlies and Spurs.

Daigneault, when asked by a reporter if he had spoken to Dort about his shooting slump, didn’t think a conversation with the veteran guard was necessary.

“I haven’t had any conversations with Lou. That’s how much I believe in Lou — his competitiveness — I’ve seen him go through so many ups and downs over the last six years, and how he reacts to it,” Daigneault said. “He’s so consistent as a competitor. He always puts in the work and he’s got incredible confidence. So he maintains a high level of confidence in all circumstances. I have a lot of faith in betting. So I haven’t talked to him.”

Dort and the Thunder will look to avenge a pair of losses against the Spurs on Christmas Day at Paicom Center.