After beating the Philadelphia 76ers 133-100 on Wednesday, head coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder officially clinched the Northwest Division. They are one Los Angeles Lakers loss against the Milwaukee Bucks away from clinching the No. 1 seed. The shorthanded Thunder's blowout win against the 76ers impressed Daigneault, who commended his players for executing at a high level without four of their five starters.
All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and others were ruled out. Still, the Thunder captured their 57th win of the regular season, matching last year's total with 13 games remaining. Oklahoma City can clinch the top seed Thursday night with a 12.5-game lead atop the Western Conference, including the Lakers, per NBA PR's X, formerly Twitter.
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The Thunder clinched their seventh divisional title in the last 15 years, the second-most in that span. And now, if the Bucks beat the Lakers, Oklahoma City will clinch the Western Conference. After Wednesday's win, Daigneault showered his team with appreciation and gratitude.
“I told the team and congratulated the team. It's not something we take for granted,” Daigneault said. “Everything in the NBA, every win, just one game, is earned. So, when you win your division, it's earned. And it takes a lot of hard work, and this particular group has not taken any shortcuts to get to this point. So, we're incredibly grateful anytime you have the opportunity to win something. It's something we don't take for granted.”
Oklahoma City is one Bucks win away from clinching the No. 1 seed.
Mark Daigneault, Thunder celebrate winning Northwest Division
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Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gestures to his team during a play against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Paycom Center
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Along with clinching a divisional title, the Thunder celebrated Jaylin Williams' second triple-double this month. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault explained how Wednesday's win against the 76ers made it a special night for his team.
“This group of guys, in particular, deserve to be able to share in these accomplishments together because of the way they operate professionally and how connected they are,” Daigneault said. “So, we've accomplished it by keeping our head down, and that's what we'll continue to do. I just gave a nod to the guys. They deserve a lot of credit and should be incredibly proud of their accomplishments.”
Daigneault addressed his team's efficient shooting in a game where all nine Thunder players made at least one three.
“Sometimes the best shot is an open three. I thought a lot of our threes were high-quality tonight and open,” Daigneault said. “So, great ball movement. Guys stepped into those shots with confidence, which is what we want them to do. So, if those are the best shots you can get on a possession, you take them.
The Thunder made a whopping 24 threes on 46.2% shooting.