Stiles Points: Mark Daigneault Stayed True to His System, It Paid Off

The Oklahoma City Thunder extended its franchise-best winning streak to 14 games, knocking off the New York Knicks inside the Paycom Center. Mark Daigneault stayed true to who he was, and it paid off for the OKC Thunder.

Dec 20, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gestures against the Miami Heat during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is not a robot. Sure, he may play the hits in press conferences like a Woody doll when you yank his pull string and he spits out there is a snake in his boot, but unlike that mixture of plastic and cloth, Daigneault has emotions. Ask any referee around the NBA this season.

The impressive part about the Thunder bench boss, is those emotions do not overwhelm him or shake him. It easily could've in this game, pacing opposite of Tom Thibodeau who is the near polar opposite to Daigneault.

The New York Knicks saw five crack 40 minutes and only used three players off the bench. The Thunder on the other hand, played ten total players, with none earning more than 38 minutes. Oklahoma City won by ten.

However, it was not always going the Thunder's way, in fact, the tide did not turn until the finishing act. At intermission, it was all Knicks, even entering the final frame, it felt like New York had bagged this one.

At different stages of this game, it would have been easy for Daigneault to fight fire with fire. Uncharacteristically leaning on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein to soak up nearly every minute. flanked by Lu Dort and Cason Wallace - Oklahoma City's two top defenders.

However, despite getting down by as many as 14 and feeling overmatched at times by the Knicks starting lineup, Mark Daigneault didn't blink.

In sticking to his guns, he earned the Thunder a win from the sidelines. Sure, he wouldn't say that, always quick to deflect the credit to the players and shoulder all of the blame. But it is true. Few coaches around the NBA would resist the temptation of going star-for-star in a battle of two of the league's best squads vying to keep lengthy winning streaks alive.

Even fewer, would keep that discipline in the emotional apex of a game. As Oklahoma City made a run to cut it to a two-point deficit, having battled all the way back, prompting a second Knicks timeout, it would've been easy to put its superstar back in - after all, they were only a minute and a half away from the standard check-in time for Gilgeous-Alexander. It didn't happen.

Daigneault road with the crew that brought the Thunder back and they rewarded him by chipping away and getting it to a one-point game as Gilgeous-Alexander re-entered with seven and some change to go in the final quarter.

The MVP coming in with fresh legs, on a normal rotation pattern, in a one-point game against a Knicks squad gasping for air? Everyone in Bricktown would sign up for that situation 10 times out of 10.

It paid off, the superstar finished off the comeback with eight points, three assists, a rebound and a steal in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder were drug into a rock fight on the court, but off of it, they stayed true to who they have been since the day Sam Presti hired the 39-year-old wonderkid.

In return of that belief? A player like Aaron Wiggins, who floats in and out of the starting lineup and is featured in varying roles each game, rewards his bench boss with a red-hot fourth quarter that included 15 points, four triples, an and-one and a dime to Lu Dort for an exclamation mark 3.

On the flip side, the Knicks were a -10 in a 10-point loss and running on fumes as the Thunder shifted gears in the fourth quarter Oklahoma City won by 18 points.

Stiles Points

• The Oklahoma City Thunder are 7-0 on the second night of a back-to-back.
• Jalen Williams produced six points, a rebound, a block and an assist in the fourth quarter alone.
• Isaiah Hartenstein was special as a screener to free up space for the Thunder guards. In additon to that, his playmaking helped generate easy bucks to the tune of seven assists, coupling with his 14 rebounds, one steal and one block.
• Sunday's game against the Boston Celtics has been flexed to an NBATV contest.

Song of the Day: Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen.

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