Against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, the Oklahoma City were handed their worst loss ever. In a game where they gave up 152 points, OKC lost by a total of 57 points, the most in Thunder history.
Although OKC hasn’t been great recently, losing 17 of their last 18 games, this was rock bottom. First-year Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault was very straightforward postgame, calling the loss embarrassing.
“It’s embarrassing. I’m not gonna try to spin that. We are still grateful to be playing basketball. Adversity tests the connection of the team. It tests everything, it squeezes you and it shows you who you are.”
The theme of the season for the Thunder under Daigneault has been to control what you can and learn from mistakes. He’s preached that you have to keep a clear mind and approach each day with a fresh outlook. After the loss on Saturday, Daigneault once again spoke on this.
“I told the guys after the game, you gotta get off your feet, get mentally, physically and emotionally 0-0 tomorrow morning. It’s about turning the page and keeping the guys connected. Getting them back into the next moment and the next game, that is one we gotta flush.”
As they look to continue to increase their lottery odds, losing games shouldn’t be a concern for OKC. However, losses of this caliber are nothing but bad for the winning culture they’ve built over the past decade.
