Thunder Coach Takes Pride In Healthy Roster For NBA Playoffs

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OKC Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault takes pride in healthy roster for the NBA playoffs.

The OKC Thunder will be defending their crown in this upcoming NBA playoffs with a healthy roster, an objective that head coach Mark Daigneault is proud of. 

Following the Thunder’s final regular-season game on Sunday, Daigneault took pride in the team’s healthy and complete roster as they enter the playoffs with the top seed in the Western Conference for the third straight year. 

“That was the goal—to get ourselves in the best possible position,” he said after the Thunder lost 135-103 against the Phoenix Suns. “I think we’re in a good spot right now. We’ve got a balance, maintaining our conditioning in, getting a little bit of bump so we can be able to play high-level basketball.

“Obviously, every team’s goal heading into the playoffs is to be healthy, and we’ve positioned ourselves well for that at this point,” he added. 

Lu Dort was the only regular starter who played in the Thunder’s regular-season finale. Among those who did not suit up were MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Cason Wallace, and Isaiah Joe to rest up for the playoffs. 

It also gave bench players more minutes to show their wares to finish the season. 

“The last 2 games the focus was the health of the higher priority guys…and opportunity for guys who don’t play as much,” Daigneault said. We accomplished both those things.”

As of writing, no major injury is listed in the team’s injury report. 

The Thunder has struggled with injuries throughout the season, with the likes of Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Hartenstein missing a handful of games. 

Yet, the team healed towards the latter part of the regular season, allowing them to have a complete roster for the playoffs. 

Thunder Gets 7-Day Break Before The Playoffs

GettyThe OKC Thunder will get a full week off before the NBA playoffs.

On top of an intact roster, the OKC Thunder will also get the benefit of having seven full days to prepare for their playoff matchup in the first round. 

The team will have its Round 1 opener on Sunday, April 19, against the No. 8 seed following the play-in tournament, which will wrap up on Friday, April 17. 

The Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, and the LA Clippers are among the vying teams for the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds. 

The Thunder finished the regular season with 64 wins and 18 losses, which is a downgrade from their last season’s record of 68 wins. 

Nevertheless, they will still have the homecourt advantage for all the playoff series they will play in. 

Thunder Avoids Two West Contenders In The First Two Rounds

GettyThe OKC Thunder avoids the Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs.

If the Thunder were to cruise past their Round 1 opponent, they would be avoiding the potential gauntlet of going through the Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs in the West playoffs. 

This comes after the Spurs finished the regular season in the second seed, while the Nuggets climbed to the third seed.

The Thunder will only meet either the Spurs or the Nuggets if they advance to the Western Conference Finals. 

If the Nuggets and Spurs take care of business in Round 1, they would be facing each other in the second round, while the Thunder would be taking on the winner of the LA Lakers and the Houston Rockets series. 

The Spurs are 4-1 against the Thunder in the regular season. On the other hand, the Thunder holds a 3-1 record against the Nuggets this year. 

Last season, the Thunder and Nuggets dueled to a Game 7 in Round 2, which OKC won convincingly. 

Rob Andrew Lo Rob Andrew Lo is a writer at Heavy Sports and is covering the NBA. He has covered local, collegiate, professional and international sports in various sites. He was the sports editor of The Varsitarian, the official student publication of University of Santo Tomas, and a sports, entertainment, and lifestyle writer for Rappler.

A Journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas, he has built his voice across both collegiate and international platforms, previously contributing NBA coverage to Fansided and Sportskeeda.
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