In Oklahoma City, we always manage to pull a player out of the hat. Chet Holmgren always on the sidelines and Isaiah Hartenstein also injured for the revenge against the Cavaliers, Mark Daigneault once again found himself limited in terms of size, against the duo Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen.
And if the “cockroaches” or “hyenas” have compensated for their lack of centimeters by their activity, the interior Branden Carlson (2m13, 25 years old) also had his best career match at the best time…
“It was incredible” explains Shai Gilgeous-Alexander about his teammate. “He was huge in our run (a 30-2 which folded the match in the first period). He was aggressive, he took what the defense gave him and he was ready for this moment. And that's all we can ask for. »
A full member of the team
However, the situation of the former Utah college player is not simple, as he saw the Thunder release him from his “classic” contract at the beginning of January, so as not to guarantee him… before bringing him back via a 10 day lease.
“Obviously his situation is a little different, a little more difficult, but he was ready for the moment and played a big role in the victory because of that. He is part of this team. Like I said, we have 15 guys who know what it takes to get there every night. He's part of the group.” ensures “SGA”.
Mark Daigneault can also only congratulate Branden Carlson, author of 11 points at 3/6 from distance, plus 4 rebounds in 17 minutes, despite his precarious situation. For the coach, it is the work of his player, with the OKC Blue in the G-League, or during the few minutes he received in “garbage time” at the start of the season, that pays off.
“I remember his first week here, when he had a few minutes here and there, he knew the whole playbook (the systems). I told myself that he was really into it. When you perform consistently everywhere, then you can think that he can perform as well as he did in this first quarter. »
