'They deserved to win:' Daigneault's takeaways from OKC's Game 1 loss

Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault speaks following OKC's one-point loss in the first game of the NBA FINALS. His full remarks are above.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gave credit to the Indiana Pacers after Oklahoma City’s narrow Game 1 loss in the NBA Finals, making it clear that the series is far from over.

“The common denominator is them,” Daigneault said. “They just play with a great spirit, they keep coming, they made plays, made shots. They deserved to win by a point.”

OKC led for much of Thursday night’s matchup but struggled towards the end. Daigneault called the game a learning opportunity, not a setback.

“We would have liked to win tonight, but tonight was a starting point, not an end point,” he said. “Now the series starts to

Daigneault said the team would review missed opportunities and look for better decision-making near the rim.

“They shot the hell out of the ball,” he said. “They made us pay when we made mistakes tonight.”

Daigneault also addressed his decision to start rookie Cason Wallace and to finish the game with a smaller lineup, a shift from previous playoff rotations. He said the team has embraced flexibility all season and will continue to adapt.

“We’ve been pretty fluid with the lineup,” Daigneault said. “We have a lot of optionality. We’ll look at anything we can to try to give ourselves the best chance to win.”

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