“He was just in control” - Thunder HC Mark Daigneault reacts to Jalen Williams’ Game 4 explosion sparking narrow win
The Oklahoma City Thunder coach, Mark Daigneault, was pleased with Jalen Williams' performance, as he helped lead the Thunder to an impressive victory in the Western Conference Finals on Monday. OKC defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-126 in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
During the postgame press conference, Daigneault spoke highly of Williams.
"He's still learning. He's a young player still and these are rich experiences for him," Daigneault said. "Last game they did a good job on him, forced him right and kept him on his right hand...Tonight he just kind of took what they gave him."
"He was just in control most of the night. He never seemed sped up, he never seemed like they were dictating and that's what the great offensive players can do. Just a great adjustment by him tonight."
Jalen Williams finished with the second-highest point total in Game 4, finishing with 34 points, five assists, and three rebounds. He also shot 6-of-9 from behind the arc and trailed only NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 40-point night.
The outstanding performance comes after the Thunder dropped Game 3 on the road in Minnesota by a 42-point deficit.
Jalen Williams talks about the Thunder players' resilience
Despite falling short in Game 3 of the conference finals, Jalen Williams and the Thunder chose to approach the next game with the same mentality that they have had all season.
Williams spoke to the media on Monday ahead of the game to remind everyone of the resilience that the Thunder have had throughout the year.
“We’re a team that don’t make excuses. When you lose by that much, it kind of makes you wanna learn more about yourself than it does if you play a really good game and you lose by one,” Williams said.
“So, I feel like they both have their benefits of ups and downs. But, yeah, it’s easy to kind of flush that one and just be like, ‘Alright, that wasn’t us.’ Obviously, we got to come with it because they’re a really good team. Then, go from there.”
The Thunder will return home on Wednesday for a chance to close out the conference finals and punch themselves a ticket to the NBA Finals.