OKC Thunder Full Media Availability | Post Game at Minnesota Timberwolves | January 20, 2024

OKC Thunder Full Media Availability | Post Game at Minnesota Timberwolves | January 20, 2024

Defense in the fourth quarter you get hold him the 14 points what did you feel out there in terms of the connectedness that you guys had to be able to make that happen um I think part of it was just having an understanding that uh you know the wolves are a really good

Defensive team especially in the half court so when the game slows down um we can’t just rely on one side of the floor um obviously we were down at one point and we we were able to get the offense going enough to get us back in the game

But we weren’t going to win the game if we didn’t get stops and we knew that so um we really came together and and as a collective unit um put together a lot of winning plays down the stretch you guys are down 11 in the fourth and down for a

Good portion of that second half too um you have probably an interesting perspective on this because you guys now over the last two seasons have the most double digit comeback wins in the NBA uh what level of Faith do you kind of feel among group uh during these games the

Long 48 minute games that you’re going to be able to figure it out um I mean not just in those situations but all situations at all times we have a lot of faith in each other um we all put the work in together and and see

Each other putting in the work so um you know there’s a lot of belief in uh in everybody on what they can do and and Coach puts us in great positions too to go out there and be successful so um obviously there’s going to be runs in

The game but but we know that if we just keep doing us um and and play the way that play the Thunder style of basketball that you know we’re going to make good plays and make you know runs go in our favor at the end of the day

And it’s not going to work out every single night but over the course of you know seasons and stretches or whatever um you know I think it’s going to go in our favor check when you think about the ability to to win a game against the League’s best defense while shooting 39%

From the floor just what you that says about this team in the way you guys are learning um I I think it really says that I think it really shows how much we put into winning like how much we want to win um you know you could say you

Know we didn’t shoot it well tonight so let’s just try again next game but that’s that’s not the type of guys that we have it’s not the type of team that we are so um you know we’re going to find different ways to win basketball games and and you know whether it’s on

The offensive end or the defensive end we’re going to try and do it both ways um every night but one side might not go our way uh like it did the other night but um you know we know we’re going to do what we have to do to try and win the

Game I got a little loopy dupy on that answer now curious because by now we got a good sample size of it you know a lot of players will do the whole thing like they they want to replay they want to challenge like a lot of players will do

That on every play you don’t man it’ be killing me cuz there be guys who will really argue calls and you look up at the Monitor and it’ll be a super clear like they’ll be like I didn’t foul them and it’ll be super clear foul and it’s like like we

Watch film we do our homework the refs this is their job like I’m sure they watch film and do their homework too and it’s like if you do that they’re going to know every time you stand up and you’re just waving your fingers around like challenge it like and arguing with

Them they know you’re just bullshitting them pardon my language but so like when when I stand up I might be wrong sometimes but if I stand up and I’m telling coach to challenge it especially because challenges are so valuable I really truly believe that it’s not a

Foul or the play is going our way you know what I mean and I might be wrong on some of them but I’m not going to get up there and like try to fake it so I can like get an edge on the ref for one play you know what I

Mean cuz like in the long run like it’s not going to work out in your favor so you know I’ve seen it a few times here and there this season already I you have to ask the question so so now I ask um it feels like Mark because you’re you’re

More decisive when you do that uh it feels like Mark knows like if you’re doing that like he has to challenge have you guys talked about that at all and just knowing uh I mean when I first got here he’s like he doesn’t want to be like conservative with his challenges

Because you can’t carry him over to the next game so he wants to make sure he uses them but he also wants to put faith in us and it’s like if you’re telling me to challenge and you’re wrong every time I’m not going to challenge it so it’s

Like that’s also why if I stand up and I’m telling him a challenge like I truly believe that and I think I’ve only gotten one wrong this whole year so probably like 90% on those so uh yeah it was um the one I got wrong it was a a foul

On um denisas Jr against the Nets yeah I thought I got all ball but like I got his arm too so Chad as you just reflect over this this road trip it it’s been a long road trip but you played four very high level opponents who all gave you guys their their best

Shot just looking back and knowing that how much can you guys kind of take and and learn from this trip can you say that question one more time please yeah you guys have played four very high level teams on this trip they’ve all thrown their best punch at you guys each

Night what can you guys take away and and learn from this trip overall um I mean there’s a lot of lessons that we can learn on the court in terms of x’s and o’s and the coaches are going to make sure we cover those in film and

Everything but um I think as a team we got a great understanding that none of these games are promised and um you know our hard work is starting to show um you know teams have a little extra juice coming into the games against us you know

They’re ready to play they want to win and um I mean they always want to win but um you know they’re they’re understanding the effort that it’s going to take to to win against us and we have to have that same mentality every single night knowing that teams are Juiced up

To playoffs we can’t come out expecting to win any game we have to make wins happen and um you know I feel like this road trip has been a great example of that we’ve played really good teams and unfortunately um you know we lost two tough games and we won two tough games

So uh we just got to keep rolling those lessons forward and um doing what we need to do to keep winning games Chad uh after your first game here this season Rudy told me that he was really impressed by how the way that you just kept coming at him even when maybe

You didn’t have the best night when it wasn’t going your way but he just said it this guy just kept coming and kept coming at me Mark also said that you know he’s impressed by the way that you just kind of your resilience and keep going at is that can you just describe

What your mentality is out there whether it’s going your way or not and and never backing down against anyone um I mean yeah uh it’s just having a a good relationship with adversity I guess my whole life uh hasn’t been like a cakewalk or easy so like I’ve found a good understanding

With um how to handle adversity mentally and then also understanding like if something’s not going your way just stopping and shutting down isn’t going to turn things around so um you know not every night it’s going to go your way the whole time uh and you know even when

You just keep going at it and keep hammering um you know it’s not always going to turn around that night but you know if you stay at it and keep working hard enough eventually things will turn in your favor and um you know that’s kind of the mindset I have uh you know

I’ve seen adversity this year I’ve seen adversity before this year so um doesn’t matter if I play 15 years in season 15 I’m going to see adversity so uh just got to kind of keep going through it yeah thanks J appreciate um your defense in the fourth quarter really limited

Them when you needed it the most and you know the offense wasn’t there throughout the night but what what went into that defense there L that stretch yeah um we wanted to make them play in a crowd um especially their main guys um obviously their main guys are really

Dynamic and you try to send multiple bodies at them um and I let them play in space and I think we kind of we did that to perfection in the fourth just reflecting over this road trip is the fourth straight just high level opponent that you guys have played against again

You were really strong punch throughout the night what kind of lessons what can you guys take away as you just kind of look over yeah um for for myself every every possession every couple minutes every uh end of quarter start the quarter um it really matters especially when you’re

Playing against a high level team um I think I kind of I don’t know if it’s let my foot off the gas but I didn’t I didn’t end the first quarter the way I wanted to we had a big lead um and I might have got a little bit laxidasical

Uh and we I think we were up 15 and they cut it to like six to end the first um then almost came back to bite us so just taking every possession uh like it’s your last and and and knowing how much each possession matters and in CL games against really

Good teams say obviously this team is banged on efficiency you’ve been one of the more efficient teams in the league and you shoot 39% today and beat the the League’s best defense I just wonder what you think today says about this team yeah um we hang our hat defensively uh

When we are when we’re at our best is is when we’re on a string with all five defensively communicating uh making multiple efforts um and locked in on the game plan we uh every night we focus on defense before offense and and when we do so we give ourselves a chance against

Anybody throughout this road trip like especially early in the week um look at some of your numbers like 19 or whatever I think especially against the Lakers like people have questions some people have question your your efficiency this week specifically especially compared to kind of season you had I just wonder how

You frame this week relative to the season and just this month and you know in tonight’s fourth quarter we go four for six I just wonder what it is that allows you to get back to that version of yourself um I I know I know success is a roller coaster

Um it’s not going to be sunshine and rainbows 247 you’re going to have ups and downs um I prepare for nights where I’m not making shots like I use like I usually do um and I prepare for bad nights uh they’re going to happen nobody has a perfect season

Nobody plays their best every night everyone has bad games um I’ve had seven points in a game this year like I I know to get to where I want to be as a player um there’s going to be ups and downs and learning experiences um at the end of

The night whether it’s good night bad night I just try to learn from it right and I haven’t been around a long so I don’t I don’t know what this trend is about but when you guys do the PO game it’s like two or three or four of you on

The court doing that interview what’s that about yeah I don’t know uh I just I just felt the kids behind me making noise they can never behave um yeah I don’t know I’m TI it up with them uh you guys now have uh the most double- digit comeback wins over the

Last two seasons in the NBA Mark was kind of saying the 48 minute mentality that you guys began a long long time ago has helped lead to that do you feel any of that now now when you guys are in these situations some of the foundational stuff that you tried to lay

Early on about what you wanted this team to be about yeah um coach was really good with that like early in our I guess rebuild um and development he was always like a stickler on certain things and certain things always mattered more than others um no matter who was on the court

No matter what our record was no matter who we were playing those things always mattered no matter what the score was right um and it it kind of it’s built a habit for us um and it’s like our our core and our identity and yeah I guess that’s hats

Off to him he’s been really good with that throughout good bad and ugly yeah goad John sh we saw all you guys at chat’s thing last night for for his retirement ceremony just wonder if you could describe the chemistry that you guys have built together because it

Seems like maybe that is serving you well in games like this you’re down double digits in the fourth quarter and you stay together and you come through just how would you describe your connectedness and and doing things like that for each other yeah um we all we all care and love each

Other um and we want the best for the for the guy beside us in the locker room um and I think when you can feel that and you know that about the guys around you when you step on the court it’s easier to play hard for them it’s easy

To know that like if they get on you they have your best interest it’s easy for them to hold you accountable it’s easy for you to hold them accountable um and then you get the best out of each other um so I think yeah that for sure

Trickles to our on the court um and is part of the reason why we’ve had success and just real last night it was really cold like did you ever think nah I’m not going to go tonight I’m not I’m going to skipe this oh no shot I’m from Canada no shot

Yeahs I’ve doing a big story on on Nel and I wanted to ask you a question too about him he said last year when he got traded here he was terrifying because he didn’t know where he was at in his career and he kind of developed his

Habit of reading a lot last year and I want I want to ask you kind of how did he handle last season and just how how do you feel as says his cousin that he’s kind of made it to the other side of what was a difficult year for him yeah Um it’s it’s tough It’s hard it’s hard for me because I haven’t had to go through what he’s had to go through in that aspect um I think he’s had like five coaches in four years um he’s been on like four teams in four years um and not having I guess that

Security when you sleep at night would be very hard very stressful for sure um but he’s done an amazing job of just like sticking with it and trusting his work um and I always tell him like as long as you put the work in and be ready

For the opportunity you’ll be all right and I think we saw that when he came here last year he was ston the fire and he was ready um and played big minutes um and then got a extension this summer so um yeah hats off to him for for

Sticking with it and be super super tough manle does he does he share book ideas or anything with you or what do you think of his his habit of of kind of reading all the time um yeah I no we don’t talk about bs we talk about Hoops

The family um but yeah that’s something that you know reading is helps you um it it’s cool you by reading you’re always learning um and finding new things out so that’s why take us through your step back three there with the game on the line

Um I had made a few shots I finally felt like I was in a rhythm tonight offensively that last quarter um and then I was in the mid-range into the rack for the most of the fourth um I think for all the fourth and then I just

Felt uh McDaniel sagging off and I was I was in Rhythm comfortable um it’s a shot I’ve shot many times so I just felt it try not to overthink it and shot the ball with confidence say before the game you know Mar was kind of ask same about you guys

Put up to to chat thing last night and then just talking about the team he he said there’s a a viod to the team just and talking about the cohes just I wonder what word you use to describe that Vibe or you describe that L goofy goofy and young I would say like

We’re a lot of the times where like light in situations um we have fun um we’re never like too I’ve never like come in the building and the mood’s been off like as a group we’re always like joking having fun um all I see you uh

Jaylen tell me about the defense in the fourth quarter to be able to hold those guys to just 14 points I want to say we didn’t foul but we might have fouled so um I just thought we did a good job being physical um thought we really ramped it up

Especially in that fourth um just kind of relied on stops cuz we didn’t shoot the ball well so I think in that aspect you know we’re maturing understanding what it takes to kind of gut out and win games and we did a good job there the the faith that you guys had

Tonight me just seemed like nothing’s going in shots weren’t falling you’re down 11 I think in the fourth quarter um what’s the feeling like out there in terms of just the understanding of the length of the game and and the faith that you’re going to find that window to

Crack uh yeah when shots aren’t going in it is frustrating you know obviously you want to make every shot so but we also understand it’s basketball you know you’re going to have games where you don’t shoot well and it’s the NBA you know you’re playing 82 so there’s being

A good amount of games where you don’t shoot well so got to find out other ways to win and basketball is so much more than shooting and and scoring in that regard so the fact that we were able to understand that and just kind of lock in

Defensively was big for us um you know we got some big stops Lou was playing tremendous defense and kind of ched at The Rim um I thought we did a really good job with our coverages and what we wanted to get done um yeah y being the the League’s best

Defense while shooting 39% is something in itself but I just wonder you know considering the the punches you’ve taken from from other teams other good teams this week um and just how heavy this month is just how much does this wi mean relative to the season or relative to this this he month

Um it’s a big win I think just in general for like kind of the way we started this road trip um kind of a break even is big for us uh and I think also just you know obviously see they’re they’re number one in the west so anytime we can kind of

Get that really high playoff kind of atmosphere early especially in this month um is big for us just as far as development you know we’re able to kind of figure out you know when adversity hits against one of the best teams in the NBA what we’re kind of made

Of so it’s good that we we got that challenge tonight obviously even better that we you know we came away with the win so um you know it’s huge for us big learning moments obviously a close game uh learning how to win when shots aren’t falling so there’s a lot of good that

Comes out of playing teams like that and you mentioned your exact word where you got to see what you were made of I just wonder if you could describe what you think by now this team is made of a lot of grit and very competitive very competitive group um very together I

Feel like you know as Thunder esque as that that term is um you know we’re really close group so I think games like this win or lose bring us really close together and you know we kind kind of lean on each other during these road trips and games in general when it’s

Close to kind of have each other’s backs and we’ve been doing a really good job of that shade seem to have an answer for how it started but the group postgame interviews have become a thing I just wonder how you think those things have started I don’t know we’re random it’s

Just like it kind of just happens uh Nick you’ve been a part of a lot of random ones now yeah it just I don’t know whenever we have a a win that everybody’s excited we usually do something funny I don’t know you just be out there joking around and that’s

Just kind of our team like it really has nothing to do with the fact that it’s like a interview uh I wanted to see if you could just kind of reflect over this road trip because it’s for very high level opponents very different games but they all giving you guys their best

Punch and coach said you know you guys are going to be a better team after this road trip just because all the you know you guys have gone through what can you guys as a group just kind of take away from from the trip over

Um learning how to win on the road is Big um there’s a lot more adversity on the road just because you’re away from home and a lot of stuff like that so learning how to win on the road has been big for us um you know no matter of the

Circumstance you know you look back at our Atlanta and Brooklyn game like just the flight stuff with that learning how to compete and fight back in those games and and then you know obviously going to La you get two bigger teams so we’re kind of getting to see everybody’s best look um

In an array of different you know actions and how teams line up against us so it’s good that we’re getting such a variety on this road trip um yeah so we’re just learning how to kind of compete with that and understand what we like to do to combat that and uh you

Know we’re learning together so it’s been good it’s been a really good road trip for us and just what about for you personally Mark mentioned this before the game just the array of matchups that you’ve had Carling towns Mark and you had Kawhi Leonard and LeBron just over

This this trip alone for you personally defensively what was what was this trip like for you a lot of ice tubs um but yeah I love competing so you know those matchups are exciting um not everybody gets to guard players like that so I kind of take that as a

Challenge and you know also a blessing that the team you know trusts me to go out there and and play defense on those guys and you know I think another big piece is you know obviously Lou um you know a lot of his cuz he’s been doing it

For so long his match Up’s always on the radar but you know when I have Kawai he has James Harden or you know so you know a lot of a lot of games are like that so it’s good that you know I have a good core behind me defensively so I have a

Lot of confidence you know guarding those guys and trying to make it tough for him but at the end day it makes me better when I’m going up against them feel we saw all you guys at Chets thing last night just wondering kind of talked about a little bit but just what it

Means for this team to be together and have that that kind of chemistry can you describe what the vibe and the Dy Dynamic is like just with all you guys willing to do that on on an off night and going and be that for your team yeah

Um well first we know how important it is to chat and you know like Jersey retirements and he’s like 21 so um that speaks to the you know the his character and you know how he performed to the high school so we all know it’s a big

Deal um we also know that he would do the exact same thing you know he’s at K riches so um yeah we’re just a close group you know we we all love each other so um anything we can do to support each other or kind of be there you know

Everybody knows that we have each other’s back and you know that’s one through you know however many people are on the team exactly but yeah we we all enjoy being around each other and we make the most of you know a lot of those opportunities that we even have together

You know whether it’s being stuck on the plane or um obviously going to his retirement so make the most out of those opportunities with each other how how well much do you think that plays a factor in your success this season overall all and then in games like

Tonight you’re down 11 in the fourth quarter you’re sticking together and finding a way um yeah it plays a huge part um I think when you have the I think when you have the close-knit kind of chemistry that we have as a team um it has no choice but to kind of jump

Onto the court with us and we do a good job of you know constantly accepting that role with each other um I think the best teams are some of the closest teams um when you can go out there with five guys that you know you can trust and

Whether we sub or not whoever’s coming in we can trust him as well I think that goes a long way with you know how we’re kind of able to withstand runs or kind of just play together Mark ask about the same just you guys up to tck yesterday and talking

About the cooh team he just said there’s a Vibe this team has how would you describe that V how would you describe what’s the question and and and when when Mark was asked pregame about just the team pulling up to there retirement last night just talking about the team’s

Cohesion he said there’s a vibe to this team just how would you guys describe the vibe of this team VI it’s a VI yeah it’s a Vibe just a VI I don’t know like close knit um yeah everybody wants to see each other win yeah

And it’s a good VI yeah when you do that together then good things happen I know for you guys this is your first team in the NBA but from what youve gathered from De le does it feel like the vibe of this team is unusual relative to to

Other Co teams I mean the whole I don’t mean to take his time no go ahead here the whole the whole everything about the thunder is different from everything I’ve heard about other places in this league from from management to the rest of the staff all the way down to the players everything

Just operates different agreed yeah no we I feel like we also know there’s something special because we’re the youngest team in the NBA so you know to have everybody around the same age I think helps with our Vibe so if you want to say young we have a very young Vibe

Um but yeah I think that just brings us closer together so it is it is definitely probably a different Dynamic and I don’t want to speak for other teams but I think every team probably thinks their their team is special in some way but yeah I

Think just us all being the same age probably probably brings us a little closer than than most teams thund uh it’s not easy to hold a team to 14 points in the fourth quarter what did it take down the stretch of this one and what did you all do well in

That defensive shell to get the job done um we just had to do it together um communicate the whole time on defense uh limit limit them to one shots um I feel like we did good you know just getting rebounds and then securing the rebounds and stuff like that um but yeah

We just had to do it together you just to communication listening to coverage and stuff like that and you know that’s why that happened Shay had been attacking all night and then you know final minute there he goes with the step back three from your perspective uh you’ve seen him

In so many of these situations what what’s happening there that’s telling him and this is the shot to go to need a bucket we need a score I think that’s it you know he’s been in this position so many times now and like I it’s it’s I’m

Not surprised when he takes those type of shots he got he’s so much confident and he knows he can make those shots for the team so you know we all have we all have trust in him to to to take those type of sh for us and you know he he knocked it

Down final sequence was probably among the stranger ones this year just yeah right the foul and misses the three free thr what was your perspective uh I mean it was a bad play on my end you know just knowing that he’s going to shoot a a tough three-point to tie of game um

That point I just got uh it was somebody in front of him whatever or just trying to contest without touching him um I was just so intense I was so in the game and I was trying to secure this win so bad but uh it’s my mistake but um you know

He he missed the free throws and uh we end up with the win so that’s that’s all I care about now we talk about Minnesota as the best defense in the league that the numbers obviously back at but it’s different when you get in front of them

Right I just wonder what’s so difficult about them and what it took to to win this game f should be third down Champion Field no I want to say that they’re I mean their sides you know they have pretty good uh BS you know protecting the protecting the rim so it’s it’s it’s

It’s a big Advantage for for them but I mean we we just want to come out here and compete we don’t really listen to to all that we just locked in on The Scouting Report and all that and we come coming out here to just play hard L I

Know you missed the last game but as you as you reflect back over this four game Road Trip and just the high level opponents that you guys had to go up against to really execute against that how much can you guys as a group take away from from this trip overall um I

Mean that we can really compete against anybody I mean it’s it’s we went on the road in some tough places to play I know we lost two we won two but but still you know we we were in the game and it was all you know close game

So we we we we can compete against a lot of teams so um it just gives us confidence especially coming out here and I think they number one uh in the west right now so coming out here and just competing and getting a win on the road is is

Huge we saw all you guys pretty much at chat’s thing last night tonight and just wondering if you could kind of describe the chemistry that you guys have as a team and that connectedness that you seem to have and how much is that spurring success you having on the court

Yeah we just no we just great teammates we we wanted to support him um I mean it’s it’s it’s huge all the stuff that he did for for for his school and all the awards that he got so it was it was great for us to just show up you know to

Have his back on on for him to have his jersey return to high school so so it was huge and um you know it was just a good time to all spend together you know it was fun we was joking around messing around so it was it was a good time do

You think some of that chemistry that you guys have together that connection really helps you in games like this you’re down nine with seven minutes to go and you stay together and just kind of or find a way together to grind it out yeah I mean definitely I

Mean like I made a tough foul at the end and you know my teammates still have my back whatever it’s just effort let’s just keep let’s see if he’s going to make the free throws or whatever so um it’s just the the the chemistry we

Really have is is we can’t be mad with each other we’re just you know having fun all the time when we on the court so so it definitely helps in talking about um cuz Mark was asked about just last night and you guys ping up to to chck thing he he mentioned

His team has a vibe that that allows for things like that to just be know effort how would you describe this team’s Vibe it’s hard as car VI man it’s just it’s a Vibe you know what I mean so but uh I don’t know we just we just just

Have a lot of fun jok around a lot uh we always got something to talk about or to joke joke around about so it’s it’s hard to explain you just got to be with us honestly I just wanted to ask you about just guarding Anthony Edwards throughout

The night he wasn’t his most efficient self today and Coach gave you obviously a lot of credit for that you’ve defended a lot of players in your career what goes into to defending and kind of limiting a guy like Anthony Edwards throughout the night yeah he’s a he’s a

Tough one he’s a tough one and he he got better um you know he’s a tough shot maker um my main thing was just to make everything tough um you know he’s you know he’s pretty good so that was that wasn’t just me it was the same time the

Help behind me so um but uh that’s that’s I I was just locked into the SC report and uh you know I just watched a lot of films so but um you know it was it was still a a tough game you know he still he still did his thing but it’s

Not just credit to me it’s to the whole team is it is it an extra preparation knowing that guys like Rudy goar and Carl Anthony towns are going to be setting screens for him throughout the night something that you have to mentally prepare for uh yeah mentally prepared for yeah definitely just

Knowing that they have good screens and then and they so uh big so um but yeah but you know I still got to get through the game go through it and and F through the screen and stuff like that so but yeah I had to prepare for

It question for Coach Defender uh Mark your defense held him to just 14 points in the fourth quarter uh what did you like about the way that your shell kind of all work together in that last quarter yeah I thought um we just had great you know resilience tonight uh

It’s one thing you know to defend like that but it’s another when you’re shooting the ball so poorly you know we just it a really hard time cracking them they played great defense in the second half uh and I thought even the group to start the fourth we just had a really

Hard time scoring but we were able to string together stops and it kind of kept the lead at whatever it was eight or nine uh and then we loosened them up a little bit Midway through the quarter we had scored them 23-9 I think down the stretch um but I just thought our

Ability to defend despite an imperfect night you know showed great mental toughness by our team this is the 25th time in the last two seasons so season and a half really you guys have come back back from a double digit deficit in one is there a muscle that that you guys

Over the course of time here have been able to build up to have that type of patience and resilience and faith that you’re talking about yeah I just we just want to be a 48-minute team you know and we want to play through the Finish Line regardless of circumstance I thought a

Couple years ago when we lost a lot of games by a lot of points I thought we we did a great job of playing all 48 minutes and uh it kind of set a tone for the type of team we wanted to be and uh now we’re carrying that forward you know

And showing great you know like I said mental toughness to just run through the finish line on a game that was really really tough you know they put a ton of pressure on us tonight obviously Mark you you don’t force I think you force one turnover in the third

Versus 7 a slow the game down to make it like especially nasty half court game fourth I think seven fourth just what do you see you guys get back to change ASP yeah I I mean we obviously got off to a great start both both ends

Uh and then we we were like in mud in the middle of the first half you know we started and finished the half pretty well third quarter was similar you know they just they tightened things up on you and it got hard for us you know they

They really force you into tough shots and they’re a great defense so um you know I thought the the turnovers were just defense you know our activity it’s never a goal of ours you know turn people over it’s a goal of ours to make teams uncomfortable and I think that

Might yield turnovers at times but fourth quarter we were on it we really active but the game was tough you know we really had to stay in it the whole time yeah I guess you call it that finish like relatively strange between the the blue foul at missing those three

Free thres what was your point of view during that that final sequence yeah I mean we were we were going to file up three and they Advanced it with a pass you know you hope to make them catch it in the back court it’s a good lesson for

Us um you hope to make them catch in the back court so you can give it while they’re dribbling um you know and they Advanced it it was kind of a weird play I just didn’t think we calibrated it uh and then we fouled him obviously not

Good execution by us great execution by them um and then you know he missed the first one and at that point it became about the rebound um and you know I just thought we hung in there you know we weren’t perfect we missed some free throws down the stretch we shot 39% from

The floor but I thought for the most part you know we just had great resilience like I said at the end of a long road trip and we’ve talked like earlier in the road trip just about Shay’s efficiency and and maybe people questioning you know whether this luk

Was to the standard he’s he’s played all season and then in the fourth quarter tonight he was four for six has 11 points I just wonder what you saw from him late and just the kind of that version that he can get back to yeah I mean he’s obviously a great player um

You know there’s 82 games you know we’re in the middle of a this is a month you know in terms of travel opponents uh the tightness of the games you know five and seven we have two five and sevens we have multiple back Tob backs it’s a lot of different cities

Uh no one’s feeling great and no one’s feeling great in the NBA you know this isn’t unique to us like I’ve said before the game but um I just thought we just show great toughness tonight you know we just kind of it was mind over matter um

Him included but it was really everybody and it really was just defense rebounding the rebounding was outstanding against obviously huge team so um great win for us this is the the fourth straight opponent just a high level opponent really intense game just with this road trip in particular what

What can you guys kind of take away and learn from these these four different games yeah we’re going to be a better team because of these games you know including the losses you know the Lakers loss uh was a game where I thought we were a little off track and they did a

Really good job planning for us the Clippers loss was a game that they controlled the whole time we were able to stay in it but we saw you know a a real scheme in that game um the Utah you know obviously they were white hot coming into the game and then tonight

You know they speak for themselves with the season they’re having so um those are great barometer games you find find out kind of What You’re Made Of they don’t always feel good you know it feels great when you’re like zipping it around and scoring 130 points but um you know

You have to be able to execute you know in in games like this and I thought you know they brought the best out of us tonight and um you know we have to learn the lessons from all these games and continue to plow forward here we got a lot of season

Left John Marcus is there something that you see from your group when they are down especially in the fourth quarter in terms of what brings about that resilience I or the the mindset and the mentality to not let go of the road to not you know and to really kind of dig

In like the way they seem to do yeah they’re their AFF effect is always kind of the same you know up down you know they’re they’re very even um you know from a temperament standpoint which I think suits the NBA well there’s a lot

Of ups and downs in a game there’s a lot of ups and downs in a season um and then the other thing it goes back to what you asked before the game you know in terms of the connection of the team um you know we win together we lose together we

Struggle together we come together in adversity I mean they they just do everything together and that’s a beautiful thing um including when it’s struggle and you know when we’re knocked down I mean it’s not a perfect season and uh there’s a lot of adversity but uh they endure that stuff together and you

Know the answer to question is is the togetherness of the team you know and and they kind of stay in character on that you know pretty consistently and what was the key to limiting Edward’s opportunities he only had 10 shots I think he was stuck in single digits for

Most of the game what worked well to just at least keep them from going on yeah team effort uh it’s always a fiveman defense for us you know systematically and also it’s always got to be a fiveman defense against a player of his caliber we have great respect for

His talent and what he’s capable of um so it’s that and then it’s Dort you know D’s D’s something else man you know he’s he’s an irritant you know I don’t think people like playing against him um and you know similar to what I was saying

Before the game on Chad you know he he’s he’s going to take punches he’s boxing against the heavy weights of the NBA every night uh but he just eats them you know he eats the punches and he keeps coming and uh it’s impressive to watch night after night you know and I thought

You know he was into the game tonight for sure

Hear from Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, and Head Coach Mark Daigneault following the Thunder’s 102 – 97 win over the Timberwolves.

0:00 Chet Holmgren
8:08 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
16:57 Jalen Williams
26:41 Lu Dort
33:06 Coach Daigneault

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