Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander downplays defensive coverage after loss vs. Nuggets

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OKLAHOMA CITY — After Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault commended the Denver Nuggets‘ defense on All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Monday’s 140-127 loss, the MVP candidate sang a different tune. During Gilgeous-Alexander’s media availability, he revealed he’d seen a similar defense when the Thunder faced the Minnesota Timberwolves, while adding that the Nuggets shooting at a 60% clip made the biggest difference.

Gilgeous-Alexander says the Nuggets’ coverage on him wasn’t all that different from what he had experienced in the Thunder’s 131-128 overtime loss to the Timberwolves last month.

“Minnesota did the same thing when we blew the lead. I feel like I’ve seen it before,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It felt similar to that. It didn’t feel too different. Now, in both instances, we didn’t handle it great. But we’ll go to the drawing board and try to be better.”

Gilgeous-Alexander reminded reporters it’s not easy to win a game when a team gives up 140 points.

“Their whole offense just seemed in a better rhythm,” Gilgeous-Alexander added. “It feels like we were less disruptive. They got to their spots. They just looked comfortable, and when you give good players comfort, they have nights like this.”

Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game, tallied 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3-for-7 from deep and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Well short of his regular-season average. He also finished with seven assists, three rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.

However, the Nuggets’ explosive offense yielded 60.5% shooting, including 56.3% from behind the three-point arc. The league’s reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic, finished with 35 points, 18 rebounds, eight assists, one block, and one steal in the win against last year’s runner-up in SGA.

Mark Daigneault on Nuggets’ defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

After the Thunder lost All-Star Jalen Williams to injury, the Nuggets focused their energy on limiting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

For Daigneault, it was a kind of defensive coverage he’d never quite seen on his All-Star guard.

"They had a good scheme there," Daigneault said. "They threw us off rhythm to a degree. We scored enough in the game to win. I do want to note that. With the defense, it’s not like typical denials that you normally get out of man-to-man, like you see against Houston or New Orleans. It was a little different. They’re like zoning, trapping him when he’s got the ball, denying him when he doesn’t. It was specialize for him."

The Thunder will begin a three-game road trip against the Celtics on Wednesday.

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