Mark Daigneault has talked repeatedly about the OKC Thunder building a muscle during its difficult start to the season.
Its players have had to manage a heavier workload due to injuries. They’ve had to record extra reps with multiple double-overtime games. They’ve had to carry around the target of being the reigning champions like a weighted vest.
And on Wednesday, OKC flexed its developed muscles by overpowering the Los Angeles Lakers in a 121-92 home win.
The Thunder (12-1) has looked strong all season. It boasts the best record in the NBA, as it now prepares for a two-game road trip against the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans.
“We’ve improved since the beginning of the season, which is the goal,” Daigneault said. “We’re a better team today than we were 13 games ago. The thing we have to have the maturity to understand is that there’s (69) more games, and the rest of the league is going to continue to evolve and improve. We have to do that to pace with the rest of the league.
“The guys have done a great job of carrying that mindset for a long time, but we have to carry that mindset despite the fact that we’ve had early success.”
Here are three takeaways from the win:
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Ajay Mitchell always keeps it together
Ajay Mitchell, as even keeled of a person as you’ll find, is still good when he’s thrown off balance.
A slip of his foot left the sophomore guard backpedaling at the top of the arc early in the second quarter. And Deandre Ayton looked even taller than usual to Mitchell, as he stared at the 7-footer in front of him while falling to the floor.
But Mitchell somehow sailed a pass over Ayton’s outstretched hands, and it somehow found Isaiah Hartenstein for an alley-oop dunk.
Mitchell showed poise throughout the night, no matter the scenario. He finished with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals in 26 minutes.
Performances like that are practically becoming expected for Mitchell. The Thunder, once tasked with keeping things together amid its many injuries, has seemingly found a staple piece in Mitchell.
Sixth Man of the Year. Most Improved Player. It’s all on the table for Mitchell, who refuses to be thrown off his game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated a historic scoring battle against Luka Doncic
Rui Hachimura planted his feet to the floor late in the second quarter.
He was determined to stand his ground against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who calmly dribbled up to him on the left wing.
As it turned out, Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have to lay a hand on Hachimura to move him out of the way. All it took was a swift crossover to place one of the Lakers’ better defenders on skates.
Gilgeous-Alexander then reached his spot on the baseline, lost Hachimura a second time with a pump fake and stepped into a finger-roll layup.
Wednesday’s game marked a matchup between Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, who were averaging 32.8 points and 37.1 points per game this season, respectively. It was the highest combined scoring average (69.9 points) for any head-to-head matchup since Elgin Baylor (31.8 points) and Rick Barry (38.6 points) on Nov. 19, 1966 (70.4 points).
And Gilgeous-Alexander won. Convincingly.
Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 30 points and nine assists on 10-for-18 shooting from the field (2 for 7 from deep) in 29 minutes. Doncic finished with 19 points and seven assists on 7-for-20 shooting from the field (1 for 7 from deep) in 33 minutes.
OKC shared the wealth
After snatching an offensive board out of the rafters midway through the third quarter, Jaylin Williams skipped a no-look pass to Cason Wallace while turning around.
He didn’t have to see the final result with his own eyes. The crowd told him how it went.
Wallace elevated and threw down a two-handed dunk over Marcus Smart. And on a night when Thunder fans at Paycom Center had plenty to cheer about, they might have reached their loudest point at that moment.
Wallace wasn’t the only one who cashed in on highlight plays for OKC, which shared the wealth from start to finish. The Thunder assisted on 28 of its 44 made shots, and seven different players scored double-digit points.
“Everyone is willing to do what you need to do to win a possession,” Alex Caruso said of OKC’s ball movement. “It’s just a team of unselfish guys. We’re all really excited to be the one to make the play. But sometimes that is making the pass, and we’ve got guys who are really good passers and are excited to throw the pass.”
Tip-insIsaiah Joe finished with 21 points and five assists on 4-for-10 shooting from deep. He has made at least three 3-pointers in seven of his eight outings this season.Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in 85 consecutive regular-season games, which ranks third throughout NBA history. He trails only Wilt Chamberlain, who had two streaks of 126 games and 92 games.Lu Dort missed his fifth straight game due to a right upper trap strain, and Aaron Wiggins missed his fourth straight game due to a left adductor strain. The Thunder also continues to be without two other rotational players in Jalen Williams (right wrist surgery recovery) and Kenrich Williams (left knee surgery recovery).LeBron James still has not made his season debut as he deals with a lingering sciatica issue. The 40-year-old superstar was assigned to the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’ G League affiliate, Wednesday to participate in his first full practice of the season. Lakers head coach JJ Redick said he was told James “looked good” and was “moving well” in that practice.
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 Hornets
TIPOFF: 6 p.m. Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina (FanDuel Sports Network)