OKC Thunder Full Media Availability | Post Game at Denver Nuggets | December 29, 2023

OKC Thunder Full Media Availability | Post Game at Denver Nuggets | December 29, 2023

Sh you guys got out to a really strong start in this one on on both ends of the floor just what do we think of the the mentality and the approach that you guys had coming into tonight’s game yeah um we we started the game the right way for

Sure um we started the aggressors we were um we were playing fast on both ends of the floor um and we’re disruptive so it was good you talk about disruptive course you get 25 points off their turnovers defensively what was working so well for you guys tonight on that

End um we were we stuck to the game plan um we were aggressiv and disruptive all night we um tried to make them play outside their comfort zones and uh it worked the way that you guys got cck going from the perimeter tonight seemed to open things more things up with his

Roles hard roles short roles um what’s it like playing with him and his ability to kind of mix up whether he rolls hard short or or pops yeah um makes the game easy like he can space the floor he can attack a close out um he can post up smaller guys

Um he’s a threat on the court I’m in so many ways and uh him drawing that attention only he makes it easier for the guys around us around him um including myself and dub and Josh whoever’s out there um yeah he makes it easier for the rest of the guys

Offensively speaking of Josh it seemed like you guys got him going on the Move downhill to the rim a number of times what was key in just um and not just him but but all you guys seeming to have kind of a head ofest steam as you went

To the basket tonight um we just wanted to play through our strengths um I think that was the biggest thing um Josh knows what he he’s really good at um that’s getting downhill getting in the paint making plays from there um and when he did that he was good for sure

From your perspective how hard is it to beat Denver yeah I mean the defending champs um they’re that for a reason um they their style of play is hard to guard um they obviously with with the yic um and the shooters around him um they have talented shot makers around

Them Jamal Michael Porter calwell Pope um and then defensively they try to make you play um outside of your comfort zone um and they play be together on both ends of the floor um it’s not a fluke they won the championship um they’re a really good team and we know that every

Night we play them um and know it’s a a challenge for us uh to to play them um and happy we cut the last two obviously um but you you you get out of bed for for to play against teams like that just knowing that they’re at the level that you want to

Get to um and you really get to test um how good you are do you guys feel like you reached that that level haven’t beaten them twice now on their home court um not yet we we’re not Championship level yet um we’re heading in the right direction

For sure um I can feel it I think guys on the team can feel I think everyone can feel it um we’re getting better uh you just don’t want to get complacent um and stay on that track and and keep uh attacking day in and day out um and

Hopefully we get there one day Mark has talked about not getting distracted by outcomes good or bad um what is it about what you guys have built over the last couple years uh that gives you confidence that you you guys will kind of have blinders on to a huge win like

Tonight or you know a disappoint loss you’re B to have some point um we just always preach zero and zero mentality um tomorrow we have to wake up and and do the same thing we would have to do if we lost um and that’s our mentality uh nothing’s complete um especially this

Early in the season we’re not where we want to be we want to be a better team but any season than we are today um we have to keep working if we want to do so we know that Shay we talked to Mark about your offensive night he just said

You were cruising you didn’t force anything and obviously looked really comfortable out there offensively just how comfortable did you feel and just what was what was working so well for you on that yeah um felt good um my teammates were I think a lot of it had to do with

My teammates flowing um the way we played offensively tonight allowed myself um to kind of play in space and play comfortably um like some of that has to do with Chad getting going um Josh getting going guys being aggressive um and establishing threats early in the game um and the defense had

To worry about multiple things by the time that um I I got the ball and got to start attacking um so a lot of it goes to them um and then as far as uh my shots and stuff I just tried to shoot shots that I I know I can make and

And stuff that I work on day in and day out actually just asked uh Cas this question but you know he’s a rookie this is this is all he knows uh you’ve been around for a while been around a lot of young teams uh what is it about this

Team specifically that can just confidently go out there and make the defending Champions look uncomfortable in their own house um we uh we’re competitive um and we uh we play together we play hard and we don’t we we stay in the moment um we focus on possessions we focus on

Winning minutes of spans we focus on winning quarters we don’t Focus okay we need to win the game um we just try to do everything we can um and wherever that leaves us it leaves us at the end of the night um tonight it paid off this just seem to be such a

Collective focus and intensity to you all’s uh group tonight what did you feel out there on the floor just in terms of um being kind of in the moment in this game um like you said everybody was pretty focused this game everybody was locked in um on the Scout and you know sticking

To the script and last time we came in here we knew you know we had to fight back and get the win and we didn’t want to do that again so we knew they just came off a back and back so we wanted to

Push the pace with him you you had a big block on a Murray jump shot seemed like um you all had um kind of a lot of disruption on those uh P like interior passes that you know they try to get going uh tell me about the defensive

Shell tonight and how tight that was I feel like we were being disruptive you know playing in passing lanes and you know just playing hard fighting back you know through screens and showing you know just being disciplined on our Scout K just leaning into that that defensive effort it seemed like

Everybody that stepped into the game contributed and you know every you had seven guys with a block you had a block tonight just collectively what’s it like when everyone is just seems like they’re they’re on one page on that and defensively uh it was great I mean we

Played a whole 48 minutes and I feel like we never let off the gas um everybody that came in you know obviously played their part and you know we’ll just I feel like it started on defense was you know getting a lot of stops led to a lot of transition buckets

And this is the third time you faced this team do you feel like there was any value in the familiarity you were able to build you know going up against this team twice now seeing The Scouting Report coming into this game definitely I feel like we kind of knew what to

Expect you know so we had more discipline this time you know rather than the first or second time we played them you know what you guys are doing is not like necessarily normal right like it’s not perceived as normal yeah I mean we want to be an uncommon team yes so

What do you think it is about this specific young team the second youngest team in the league to like come in here and make the defending Champions look downright uncomfortable everybody locking into being an uncommon team we we don’t want to be you know the stereotype we’re just uh everybody

Saying that we’re a young team like we want to throw that out the window we want to be uncommon and do do things different how do you guys stay motivated and hungry for the next game in the next game uh getting back to a z00 monster

After every game we you know go over our game facts and we go on to the next game so as long as we keep that z00 mindset I feel like we’re good anybody else Thunder uh mark it seemed like the the focus and intensity on your side and

An understanding of uh their hunger as a team uh was there all night why do you think your team was able to get to that place uh from a mental competition standpoint I thought I you know I really respect the approach our our players took tonight um really good from the

Jump tight uh on both ends of the floor in terms of understanding the plan uh and get off to a really good start you know we’re able to throw the first punch in the game which I think is important uh against a team with this much confidence uh and coming off of winning

Here last time so you all were able to disrupt a lot of interior passing for them tonight seemed like just hands um really in all of those drop off passes to yic and and and whatnot um can you describe just sort of how tight your defensive shell was uh to make that

Happen yeah I mean we we want to put their best players in a crowd just like every other team we play against and you know part of having the crowd is activity and our activity was good tonight got our hands on a lot of balls but it started with our positioning you

Know we were in the right places for much of the night uh and forced them to make multiple efforts to score against us which they did at times they’re a good team but uh really good execution of the plan by our players you got you

Had a lot of guys get involved in this one particularly the start of that third quarter Jay will in particular his his activity Isaiah Joe Aaron Wiggins just what did you think of of their contributions tonight yeah we got contributions up and down tonight it was

A impressive team win uh Jay will was outstanding especially on joic that’s obviously one of the toughest covers in the league and uh he really executed at a high level uh Lou I thought was really really good on Murray um you know he had six shots on the game and yet was

Incredibly impactful uh all the bench guys you know were really really good the starters were good I thought you know we got contributions like I said from everybody that went in the game and then I wanted to ask you just about Shay 40 points on 20 shots just his

Efficiency and just all around floor game tonight yeah he was just cruising he let the game come to him never seemed like he was forcing um you know play the right way throughout made the right passes kept them honest uh got to his spots you know it’s kind of routine at

This point but he played a great game did you learn anything about your team tonight winning here for the second time in in a matter of like 12 days um I mean it’s it’s always an important game but it’s always one of 82 you know they were

On backto back uh tonight which you know you always have to factor in the schedule but I did like you know our approach coming into the game I thought you know good mature approach on the offensive end especially I thought like Jay uh dub you know had I think four

Shots at halftime and just Let The Game come to him you know he wasn’t trying to force anything ended up uh passing and being a facilitator more tonight than normal and coming off a game like he had against New York I mean a a typical common player would probably try to like

Replicate that and I didn’t think he did that at all and I thought our team had that kind of um maturity and Poise on the offensive end and then you know great attention in detail on defense uh speaking of Jay dub kind of want to pee back and expend on that he

Only scored 11 points so on paper you would oh he didn’t have a great game shot four of 10 but he uh dished out nine assists accounted for 22 points for his teammates um can you just speak to his versatility and how you stop his

Scoring how he can do more yeah and I thought the most impressive thing about that was just his maturity with it he could have scored more tonight if he tried to score and he would have been less impactful you know he just he let the game tell him what to do I thought

He had great maturity had throw dordon there too you know like I said he only took six shots um you know those guys they really approach the game the right way and just played the play in front of them I thought our whole team did that tonight it was impressive on the topic

Of maturity you have talked about not getting distracted by the results can you kind of lay out the challenge in front of your guys you know heading into the weekend coming off of a big win like this to um you know maintain that focus on what happened in between the lines

During the 48 minutes yeah well it’s it’s you know never want to take a win for granted um cuz we really went out and earned that one tonight against a good team but we’ve got to understand that you know what’s put us in a a

Position to be able to win the game like this is the the way that we’ve improved uh we we improved from the last time we played Denver uh from that game uh I thought you know it was a good improvement from the Laker game I thought we could have been tighter and

More ready against a very hungry opponent uh last week and and I thought we we did that tonight we came out and approached the game the right way and so you know improvements put us uh in a position where we could win a game like this and if we want to

Continue um to find success some of these games and find good outcomes then we have to continue to improve and that’s our challenge but the team’s done a great job of that not only this season but uh for multiple years now I wanted to ask go ahead I just want to ask about

One specific play by Jay will he gets the block on I think it was Michael for Jr and then takes a charge immediately on pton Watson and like just that two for one Rim protection is that an example of kind of the defensive activity and I was talking the guys

Tonight yeah I just great multiple effort game we forced them to play away from you know plan a we forced you know their their best guys to pass or to pass in traffic obviously you know Murray and yic are always going to get their stuff but um you know just the effort and

Energy and Jay will was you know big time tonight you just physicality on yic he’s kept himself ready there’s been nights where we’ve gone small and haven’t used him as much uh and so an impressive uh performance as it relates to Readiness and and mental toughness

Out of him and we needed all of his minutes tonight he’s obviously guarding uh one of the best players in the league

Hear from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, and Head Coach Mark Daigneault following the Thunder’s 119 – 93 win over the Nuggets.

0:00 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
5:53 Cason Wallace
8:47 Coach Daigneault

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