INGLEWOOD, CA – Mark Daigneault squinted as he locked eyes with a reporter during his postgame interview.
But it wasn’t because he’s nearsighted. The OKC Thunder head coach has the vision of a “red-tailed hawk,” in his own words. He was simply contemplating the question.
“Are you able to appreciate milestones along the way like that?” the reporter asked.
That milestone is OKC’s 8-0 record, which it secured with a 126-107 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. It’s the best start to a season in franchise history.
Despite being visually capable of doing so, Daigneault is often reluctant to stare off into the distance and acknowledge milestones like that. He’s constantly zero-and-zeroed into the Thunder’s day-by-day development.
But this time was different, as Daigneault opted to take a bird’s-eye view of it all.
“I just more appreciate the team and the way they go about everything,” Daigneault said. “You know, the ups and the downs. That’s really where my appreciation is. It’s just the team. I’m aware of how lucky I am to be coaching a team like this. I’m grateful every day to work for this organization, to coach these guys and to work with the people I get to work with.”
OKC has certainly gone through ups and downs during its first eight games.
The Thunder went from receiving its championship rings to nearly letting numerous close games slip through its fingers. It went from seeing key contributors go down with injuries to seeing others step up in their absence.
So it was only right that OKC set its franchise record in a game with more peaks and valleys than California itself. Los Angeles came out swinging and claimed a 13-point lead in the final minute of the first quarter. It marked the largest deficit all season for the Thunder, which was even hit with a literal haymaker.
Jaylin Williams took an incidental elbow to the face from Kris Dunn at the 1:50 mark, gashing the skin above his left eye. But Williams, the poster child for positivity, could still be seen smiling as he walked into the tunnel with a bloodied towel over his face.
OKC welcomed the war, and it ultimately turned a 13-point deficit into a 19-point win. Williams even returned to chip in five boards and three points after receiving three stitches above his eye, which swelled up in the process.
“I actually think he looks better now with the black eye,” Daigneault joked.
OKC’s 8-0 start will surely add fuel to the burning question surrounding the team: Can it win a second straight championship?
It’s what those on the outside want to know. But that external pressure hasn’t penetrated the walls of the Thunder’s locker room. The real pressure comes from within according to Daigneault, who once again expanded his vision to the big picture.
“I’ve always felt a great deal of pressure every year I’ve ever coached,” Daigneault said. “But it doesn’t come from external accomplishments or sources. I feel a tremendous amount of pressure, first of all to the team I’m coaching. Their careers don’t last forever, and they deserve our best as a coaching staff. That applies a lot of internal pressure to me. And then I feel an incredible amount of pressure to the organization to do a great job.
“I’ve always felt pressure, whether I was a G League coach or in the NBA. But it’s not necessarily sourced by anything outside of me.”
The same can be said for Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished Tuesday with 30 points and 12 assists.
It marked his 80th consecutive regular-season game with at least 20 points, surpassing Oscar Robertson for the third-longest streak in NBA history. He trails only Wilt Chamberlain, who had two streaks of 126 games and 92 games.
For some, there’d be pressure to not fall short of expectations when standing alongside larger-than-life legends. But that’s not the case for Gilgeous-Alexander.
“I just focus on what I can control,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s giving this game, giving my teammates, giving this organization and giving the fans my all. And wherever that takes me and us, it takes us. So far, it’s worked out.”
You don’t need the vision of a red-tailed hawk to see that last part is true.
Next up for OKC is a road game against Portland at 9 p.m. Wednesday. Here are three takeaways from the win:
Pre-order new book on Thunder’s run to NBA title
James Harden is a tough cover
Cason Wallace has developed a reputation for having some of the best hands in the NBA. And he reminds everyone that after a steal and a transition bucket by flashing his palms in a celebration that mimics the Allstate logo.
But Wallace was tasked with covering what’s known as a high-risk client on Tuesday.
That would be James Harden, who went from 0 to 60 miles per hour in an instant to start the contest. He racked up 17 points during the first quarter on 5-for-8 shooting from the field (4 for 5 from deep), and he continued to torch the Thunder after that.
When Harden gathered a pass behind the arc midway through the second quarter, Wallace waved his havoc-causing hands in the air with hopes of deterring the lethal bucket getter. But Harden still launched a deep bomb over them and watched it find the bottom of the net.
On a night when scoring came at a premium for Los Angeles, which was without Kawhi Leonard (right ankle sprain) and Bradley Beal (right knee injury management), Harden set the tone early on. But he seemingly emptied the tank too early and finished with 25 points.
Thunder stormed back in the second quarter by forcing turnovers
Wallace isn’t the only Thunder player with good hands.
Ajay Mitchell also showcased his meddling mitts late in the second quarter when Dunn waited for John Collins to cut to the rim. But before that happened, he felt the ball get poked away.
The culprit was Mitchell. He forced a loose ball that was collected by Isaiah Joe, who ultimately capped off the play on the other end by sinking a 3-pointer.
Despite ranking 29th in the NBA in turnovers per game (17.8), Los Angeles didn’t commit any turnovers in the first quarter.
But the Thunder stormed back in the second quarter by forcing eight turnovers, which it converted into 15 points. That helped it cut the deficit to 57-56 at halftime.
OKC then outscored Los Angeles by 20 points in the second half to pull away. It finished the night with 19 forced turnovers, which it converted into 34 points.
“They threw the first punch tonight,” Daigneault said of the Clippers. “But I thought the team’s ability to recognize in the game what we needed to get corrected and correct it quickly allowed us to stabilize the game. We just worked the game long enough to put together that run at the end of the third and the start of the fourth.”
Isaiah Joe provided a shot of adrenaline
On a night that marked a late game for the Thunder, it needed a cup of Joe to wake up.
OKC received a shot of adrenaline off the bench from Joe, who erupted for 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field (6 for 10 from deep). It was another strong showing from the sharp-shooting guard, who has made up for lost time after missing the first five games due to a left knee contusion.
Joe is shooting 14 for 29 from distance (48.3%) this season. His 14 made 3-pointers marks the most by any Thunder player in franchise history throughout the first three outings of a season. That record was previously set by Kevin Martin (12) in 2012-13.
“I’m just trying to create as much space as possible,” Joe said. “I move around and find the open gaps. My teammates do a helluva job finding me. All I gotta do is knock down the shot, so it makes my job really easy.”
But Joe’s job doesn’t only consist of making shots.
Daigneault says the former second-round pick has become a “system monster” by doing little things such as contributing to the ball movement, making the right reads in transition and screening.
“Those are just game-winning plays, just being more than a shooter,” Joe said. “I think it’s just finding the best shot possible, whether that’s for myself or someone else, and making the easy plays if we’ve got a mismatch out there … At the end of the day, it’s just looking for the right shot.”
Tip-insChet Holmgren made his return after missing the last three games due to a lower back sprain. He finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 30 minutes.Lu Dort suffered a right shoulder contusion midway through the second quarter. And after briefly returning during the third quarter, he checked out of the game and did not return. He finished with six points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder at Trail Blazers
TIPOFF: 9 p.m. Wednesday at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon