Mark Daigneault urges OKC to keep the right mindset after 12-1 start

Oklahoma. and home – Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised his team’s approach through the first 13 games of the regular season and 12-1 start. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point performance led the Thunder in a 121-92 win Wednesday at the Paicom Center.

After the victory, Daigneault he turned to the gains he saw in his team through the first 13 games of 2025-26, but warned everyone that this is the time of the regular season, where other teams are improving. Daigneault says the Thunder will have to keep getting better as a team.

“We’re a better team today than we were 13 games ago. The thing is, we’re mature enough to realize there’s 70 more games,” Daigneault said. “And the rest of the league is going to continue to evolve and improve, and we’ve got to do that to keep up with the rest of the league. The guy’s done a great job carrying that mindset for a long time, but we’ve got to carry that mindset despite the fact that we’ve had early success.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30 points led seven Thunder players in double figures against the Warriors, including Isaiah Joe’s 21 points, including four 3-pointers, off the bench, and Ajay Mitchell adding 14 points and three steals.

Marc Daigneault on Thunder’s depth in back-to-back wins

The The Thunder followed up with a 126-101 victory against the Warriors with a 19-point win against the Lakers for the second night of back-to-back games. Thunder head coach Mark Dayno credited his team’s depth, which has helped them to 12 wins in their first 13 appearances as the defending champions.

“Our depth has been on display these last few games,” Daigneault said. “Even the second quarter in Memphis was big for us, we cut that lead when we got down early. We came in with that second unit late, and they did a great job of starting the second. And then, we come back with a cycle of guys from the first quarter, and they can handle it.”

“We want to be as close to a 48-minute team as possible. When you have a bunch of guys who step up when their numbers are called, that helps.”

The Thunder will take the next two days off before traveling to face the Hornets on Saturday.