Mark Daigneault Says Lakers’ Game Plan Forced Thunder to Improve
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LOS ANGELES — Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault credited the Los Angeles Lakers for sharpening his team’s play after Oklahoma City completed a second-round sweep on May 11, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena.
“Congratulations to the Lakers on a great season,” Daigneault said following Game 4. “They were unbelievably resourceful without Luka Dončić and with Austin Reaves missing part of their first-round series. Every series teaches lessons, and they threw a lot of pitches at us. We’re a better team now than when the series started, and that’s a credit to them.”
The Thunder entered the matchup as reigning NBA champions and heavy favorites, yet Daigneault pointed to Los Angeles’ defensive variety — including frequent double-teams and zone looks — as a key challenge. He likened the experience to facing Denver’s zone defense during last year’s postseason.
“That’s about as aggressively as we’ve been double-teamed in a playoff series,” he noted. “It forced us to sharpen our attacks. Down the stretch we executed high-lows and handled traps: we got a dunk for Chet Holmgren, a go-ahead basket for him, and a wide-open three for Ajay Mitchell.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick, in his first season on the sideline, deployed the schemes while missing two of his top scorers. The Lakers still managed to win a first-round series over the Houston Rockets before falling to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder now prepare for a Western Conference Finals matchup with Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs as they pursue back-to-back championships. Los Angeles heads into the offseason focused on building around Dončić, who called himself “very comfortable” with the organization after an MVP-caliber campaign.
Source: LakersNation.com
