The league's best 68-14 Oklahoma City Thunders played against the Denver Nuggets in Kimchi, and head coach Mark Digneault's turnover in the clutch was one of the reasons they were in this position.
Now, after 113-104 overtime loss in overtime in Game 3, trailing 2-1 in the series, the Thunder were forced to play some despair in Game 4.
In the 293 team, they led 3-1 in the seventh series, with only 13 failing to win.
But should Lei Sheng face this dilemma first? They had less than seven minutes left in Game 1 to lead by 13 minutes. They also lead by 3 minutes away, holding the ball in Game 3 with one minute left for supervision. In the end, there was no reflection of a 68-win team in terms of failure in both cases.
MVP's favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be blamed for a huge burden in Game 3 to perform well. The league-leading scorer scored only 18 points from 22 shots and only entered the free throw line five times.
However, some tactical decisions in Games 1 and 3 both stick out like a sore thumb.
What was Daigneault’s first game?
The weirdest aspect of Game 1 was the time when the Thunder promised to get the Nuggets dirty to prevent three-point attempts.
The first scenario is that Denver fell behind 117-114 from the remaining 13.9 seconds. Alex Caruso committed a deliberate foul at Nikola Jokic, 35 feet away from the basket, for only one second.
Shortly after Jokic made two free throws, the Thunder reached out to Gilgeous-Alexander and he walked on the clear path to the rim. When he easily killed us four seconds, he dunked in just 1.8 seconds. As 89% of free throw shooters, this is not a gamble.
Then there is the worst mistake. The biggest benefit of Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring before the foul was that Jokic was out and could not go back. Christian Braun broke into Aaron Gordon for 11.1 seconds, who fouled in just 0.4 seconds.
So, in fact, Denver still scored 4 points in 2.2 seconds, despite no timeout. The Nuggets' biggest enemy at this moment is the clock, and Oklahoma City's early foul strategy made it their friend.
Now, when Chet Holmgren goes live, there is still 9.5 seconds left, instead of less than five. It took five seconds for Holmgren's second unfree throw, and Gordon won three games.
Remember, this is a Denver team, a seven-game victory series against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder have a week off and have good reason to be the team that ends the strong. They can't find one of them.
I hate how Mark Digneault manages these final games for the Thunder.
The first game was blown up with a foul strategy.
And he should call the timeout at the end of Game 3. In the absence of Chet, ot is terrible too. What was this a weird challenge earlier in the 4th?
— Kevin O'Connor (@kevinoconnornba) May 10, 2025
What was Daigneault’s third game?
In this regard, the Nuggets are increasingly looking like a team showing the genealogy and balance of the championship. Meanwhile, the Thunder are increasingly in trouble on the offensive end and show a lack of stimulation.
Daigneault had two pauses and neither was overtime.
With less than 50 seconds left, Thunder added three possessions. Then, when Oklahoma City tied for the final shot with the game, there was another one.
Gilgeous-Alexander is increasingly focused on producing offenses in his own game. He could at least use the game reminding Jalen Williams, a huge game and earned 16 fourth quarter points.
If that wasn't enough, Daigneault also inexplicably chose to start the overtime frame on the bench with Homgren. He missed the first 90 seconds, and the Nuggets had risen by five seconds in the past.
OKC's offensive property in the last five minutes of the 4th:
SGA missed PU2 vs Murray (0 pass)
Jalen Williams layup vs ag (1 time)
Jalen Williams
After a while, SGA missed SB3 vs Murray, 1* pass (Jalen Williams brought the ball…
– Nekias (nuh-ky-us) Duncan (@nekiasnba) May 10, 2025
Can Daigneault rise?
Oklahoma City actually performed well, leading the series 3-0. Of course, other aspects of the game must also be held accountable. Daigneault accepted the post-match reality.
Mark Daigneault:
“I’m going to say that, like we’re a great team, we’ve checked a lot of boxes and one thing that needs to be a great team is that you’re being brought to the limit in the playoffs”. pic.twitter.com/cqecgfzxrv
– Oh no, he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 10, 2025
Ultimately, if Daigneault did not make these clear mistakes, none of these “boxes” would be under the magnifying glass. He hasn't shown some urgency in the playoffs.
In the face of adversity, calmness and calmness are one thing, but forgetting is another.
If Thunder bounces back in this series, then Daigneault has to show that he can go up.
