Thunder coach Mark Daigneault’s revealing take on Lu Dort’s recent shooting stretch

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault highlighted Lu Dort’s electric start in Thursday’s 139-96 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder defeated another elite team at home amid its five-game home stand, handing the Western Conference’s third-placed Lakers their worst loss of the season. .

After the win, Daigneault talked about Dort’s impact in the first quarter, where he connected on four threes en route to 14 points, while stringing together defensive stops on the opposite end of the floor.

“He obviously hasn’t shot the ball this year as well as he has in the past,” Daigneault said. “But lately, he’s come alive a little bit, and then, he really had the juice tonight defensively in the start of that game. Then, the New York game recently, on Sunday, was one of his better defensive games as well. He’s obviously a huge part of our defense and what we do, and he continues to take good shots, and the right shots, and that’s all we’re asking him to do on offense.”

Dort’s offensive production helped the Thunder secure a quick double-digit lead that it never relinquished.

“He really set the tone. He obviously had the shot-making early, but defensively, he was on it,” Daigneault added. “Doncic is the type of player, as we’ve seen many times, you can be on it, and he can still get the best of you. But Lu’s going to make you earn it, and that’s what he does every night. And I thought he was really wound up tonight.”

Dort scored 14 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting in the opening frame, including 4-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc, two steals, and one assist against the Lakers.

Mark Daigneault shrugs off Thunder’s extra-motivation narrative

Head coach Mark Daigneault discussed whether the Thunder were motivated to face the third-placed Lakers amid their 16 of 18 wins heading into Thursday’s matchup at the Paycom Center. However, Daigneault didn’t see any difference in his team’s preparation.

“This team is surgically consistent with their approach. They really are. They’ve been like that for years. You can’t tell if you’re in our gym, if it’s March or October,” Daigneault said. “You can’t tell if we’re playing the Lakers or anybody else. You can’t tell if we won the last game or lost it.

“So, this team does a great job of just having a high bar and striving to reach it every single day with the approach. So, I didn’t sense anything different, but we were obviously ready to play. I thought the guys really brought it.”

Mark Daigneault when asked if the Thunder were overly focused for tonight’s Lakers matchup: “Not really. This team is surgically consistent with their approach… They’ve been like that for years.

You can’t tell, if you’re in our gym, if it’s October or March. You can’t tell if… pic.twitter.com/GhwabHGWuw

— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) April 3, 2026

Daigneault and the Thunder have won four consecutive games.

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