Tag: okc thunder

OKC Thunder to face Dallas Mavericks in Round 2 of 2024 NBA playoffs

OKC Thunder to face Dallas Mavericks in Round 2 of 2024 NBA playoffs.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Dallas Mavericks in Round 2 of the 2024 NBA playoffs.

The first-seeded Thunder swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. They’ve enjoyed a week off between series as they awaited the second-round results.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks clinched their series with a win over the LA Clippers in Game 6 on Friday. Luka Doncic finished with 28 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds. Kyrie Irving had 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting.

The Thunder won three of the four matchups against the Mavericks this season. OKC’s one loss was its worst defeat of the season against Dallas after it welcomed its new additions following the trade deadline.

The full second-round series schedule can be read here.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander opens up about relationship with Mark Daigneault

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander opens up about relationship with Mark Daigneault.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had an eventful couple of days.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was named the 2023-24 Coach of the Year on Sunday. The next day, the Thunder swept the New Orleans Pelicans in their first-round matchup with a Game 4 win.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander closed out the series with a 24-point performance. After the win, the MVP candidate discussed Daigneault’s award and went into detail about his affinity for the 39-year-old coach.

“He started coaching the year my role changed as a player. To see his growth from that beginning to where it is now is amazing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’ve never really had a relationship with a coach on this professional level like I have with him.

“It just makes it easy to play. I think I can say that for the guys across the whole team. He’s so easy to play for because he’s humble, he doesn’t love taking credit, he doesn’t take care about himself, he’s selfless. When he messes up he owns it.

“Because he’s that way, he can get on us. He can hold us accountable because he holds himself accountable. It’s just rare to see at this level. We don’t take him for granted, I don’t take him for granted. Deserved Coach of the Year for sure.”

This was a very well-said response by Gilgeous-Alexander. The duo have been tied to the hip through this rebuild as the coach-star relationship. The 25-year-old has blossomed into one of the best players in the league under his tenure.

Gilgeous-Alexander singling out his relationship with Daigneault is a high compliment in itself. He’s had his fair share of surefire future Hall of Famers who’ve coached him in notable names like John Calipari, Doc Rivers and Billy Donovan.

For a title contender like the Thunder, arguably the most important relationship that needs constant nurturement is the head coach and franchise star.

If they’re on the same page, that creates a positive synergy that trickles down throughout the roster and translates to on-court success. It looks like Gilgeous-Alexander’s and Daigneault’s relationship has only strengthened as OKC has graduated to contender status this season.

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Sam Presti finishes 2nd in 2023-24 Executive of the Year award

Sam Presti finish 2nd in 2023-24 Executive of the Year award.

The NBA announced Boston Celtics’ Brad Stevens is the 2023-24 Executive of the Year award winner on Tuesday. Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti finished second in voting.

Stevens won by a healthy margin with 101 voting points. He collected 16 first-place votes, six second-place votes and three third-place votes. Meanwhile, Presti had 47 voting points. He had four first-place votes, seven second-place votes and six third-place votes.

The full voting results can be read below:

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Since being named the GM in 2007, Presti has been one of the best executives in the league, turning the Thunder into a perennial contender for most of his tenure.

This past season the Thunder jumped to the top seed in the West with a 57-25 record. The trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams headline one of the best cores in the league. Mark Daigneault is also one of the best head coaches in the league, winning Coach of the Year.

Considering the type of success the Thunder have enjoyed this season thus far, it’s not a shocker to see Presti get recognition for the work he’s done to assemble this roster over the last few years.

The 46-year-old has set up the Thunder for another lengthy contention window. A first-round sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans was the first of likely many successful playoff moments for this group.

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Full injury report for Monday’s Thunder vs. Pelicans Game 4 matchup

Full injury report for Monday’s Thunder vs. Pelicans Game 4 matchup.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have a chance to complete the first-round series sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday in Game 4.

The Thunder have a clean bill of health for Game 4. Nobody was on their injury report.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans will be without Zion Williamson (hamstring strain), who will miss most — if not all — of the first-round series. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle sprain) is questionable.

The Thunder blew out the Pelicans in Game 3 on Saturday. It was the second straight lopsided win for OKC against New Orleans. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams each scored 20-plus points.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans continue to struggle to generate points. They were held to 85 points in their blowout loss in Game 3.

Tipoff from New Orleans is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.

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OKC Thunder’s Mark Daigneault named 2023-24 Coach of the Year winner

OKC Thunder’s Mark Daigneault named 2023-24 Coach of the Year winner.

The NBA announced Oklahoma City Thunder’s Mark Daigneault as the winner of the 2023-24 Coach of the Year award on Sunday.

This comes after Daigneault also won the NBCA’s version of the Coach of the Year award this season. Chris Finch and Jamahl Mosley were the other finalists for the award.

In his fourth season as the head coach, Daigneault led OKC to the youngest top seed in league history. The Thunder finished with a 57-25 record, a 17-win jump from last season’s 40-42 record.

The 39-year-old has grown from an unknown to one of the best head coaches in the league since he took over the job from Billy Donovan in 2020. He’s set up the success of several players on the roster during his tenure.

The full voting results for Coach of the Year can be read below:

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OKC Thunder’s Mark Daigneault named 2023-24 Coach of the Year winner

OKC Thunder’s Mark Daigneault named 2023-24 Coach of the Year winner.

The NBA announced Oklahoma City Thunder’s Mark Daigneault as the winner of the 2023-24 Coach of the Year award on Sunday.

This comes after Daigneault also won the NBCA’s version of the Coach of the Year award this season. Chris Finch and Jamahl Mosley were the other finalists for the award.

In his fourth season as the head coach, Daigneault led OKC to the youngest top seed in league history. The Thunder finished with a 57-25 record, a 17-win jump from last season’s 40-42 record.

The 39-year-old has grown from an unknown to one of the best head coaches in the league since he took over the job from Billy Donovan in 2020. He’s set up the success of several players on the roster during his tenure.

The full voting results for Coach of the Year can be read below:

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Mark Daigneault explains Jonas Valanciunas’ declining playing time against Thunder

Mark Daigneault explains Jonas Valanciunas’ declining playing time against Thunder.

NEW ORLEANS — As the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first-round matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans has progressed, Jonas Valanciunas’ playing time has dwindled.

It was painfully obvious in the Thunder’s Game 3 blowout win over the Pelicans. The 31-year-old played a series-low 12 minutes and was benched in the second half in favor of Larry Nance Jr.

In his 64 minutes on the court this series, the Pelicans have been outscored by 26 points. Valanciunas’ matchup against the small and fast Thunder was one of the swinging points heading into this series and it has predictably played in OKC’s favor.

Chet Holmgren nullifies Valanciunas’ paint presence by stretching out to the perimeter. Playing a fast-paced game also is a detriment to New Orleans because the 265-pound center can get tired out.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault talked about Valanciunas’ gradual decline in playing time, noting it’s part of the chess match between himself and Pelicans head coach Willie Green.

“It’s just a matter of forcing the opponent to pivot. They’ve forced us to pivot at different times this series,” Daigneault said. “There’s a push-pull with that. … Whatever they choose to do, we gotta be able to attack it and adapt to it.”

It’ll be interesting to see if the Pelicans decide to stick with Valanciunas for Game 4. If they elect to go small to match OKC’s speed, the Thunder should outscore them enough to complete the sweep.

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Kenrich Williams underwent season-ending wrist surgery

OKC Thunder G/F Kenrich Williams underwent wrist surgery expected to miss the remainder of the season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s rotation will be different for the rest of the season following the injury to swingman Kenrich Williams. The 28-year-old was injured in Oklahoma City’s March 2 game against the Sacramento Kings, diagnosed as a scapholunate ligament rupture in his left wrist.

Williams underwent successful surgery on his left wrist in New York on Tuesday. The veteran is expected to make a full recovery but will be sidelined for the rest of the 2022-2023 regular season.

Williams ends the season averaging 8 points, 4.9 rebounds and two assists in 22.8 minutes over 55 games. He signed a three-year, $20.01 million extension earlier in the season as he is expected to play a long-term role in the team’s plans.

Williams is a captain on the team and was asked during the press conference following the game he suffered the injury about lifting the younger players following a bad loss.

“Just keep going. It’s one game. Everybody goes through it. I go through it was a part of the game. This is the beauty of the game.” said Williams. “You get a chance to come back tomorrow and play the game that we love to play. And I’m I know for sure those guys will respond well tomorrow, so not worried about that.”

The Thunder are still in range of postseason contention but will need to leap several teams with time running out on the year.
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Former Michigan basketball player Zavier Simpson’s debut with the OKC Thunder

We are so happy for Simpson!

Captain Hook finally got his chance.

Former Michigan guard, Zavier Simpson, finally got his chance in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Simpson signed a 10-day contract with the Thunder on Tuesday — Simpson will remain with the Thunder for the rest of the season. The Thunder are facing some serious injury problems — they were down to just three health guards — and OKC was just 23-55 entering Tuesday night.

Simpson has been playing with the Thunders’ G-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. The former Michigan star played 47 games for the Blue while starting 32 of those — he averaged 12.7 points-per-game, 4.6 rebounds-per-game, and 6.2 assists-per-game.

On Tuesday, Simpson got the nod to be the starting point guard, and he played a whopping 44-minutes. Simpson was 5-for-12 from the field, 10 points, five assists, and three rebounds. The Thunder defeated the Portland Trailblazers, 98-94.

The Thunder’s official Twitter account tweeted out a highlight from Simpson on Tuesday night, it’s a staple from his arsenal that Michigan fans loved — the good ole’ hook shot.

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Thunder vs. Lakers: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Friday

Can the Thunder pull off another upset over the Lakers? Here’s all you need to know ahead of Friday’s game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The 8-16 Thunder, winners of two straight, return home to take on the 13-13 Lakers. The Thunder seem to be kryptonite for the Lakers as the young squad has gone 2-0 against the accomplished veterans. The highlight play of the season so far for the Thunder came in the second matchup between these teams last month — where star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a logo three at Staples Center that quickly put his name out there for those who did not know about the young star guard already.

Being a small market star makes it tough for someone to build name recognition. One way to overcome that is hitting a deep three against a team like the Lakers that sealed the game.

The Lakers, whom many crown to be a title contender during the offseason, have struggled so far this season to stay above .500. The oldest roster in the NBA will play in Oklahoma City on the second night of a back-to-back after losing in Memphis on Thursday.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Friday, Dec. 10
  • Time: 7 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: Bally Sports Oklahoma

Probable starting lineups

Los Angeles Lakers

  • Russell Westbrook
  • Avery Bradley
  • Talen Horton-Tucker
  • LeBron James
  • Anthony Davis

Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  • Lu Dort
  • Josh Giddey
  • Darius Bazley
  • Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

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