Two points in 17 minutes in Game 1, then 8 points in 11 minutes for a +/- of -20 in Game 2. This is the result of Josh Giddey after two games against the Mavericks. The Australian leader was not limited by fouls or injury. It's quite simply that the Thunder leader still hasn't entered his conference semi-final, and Mark Daigneault made a strong decision: leave him on the bench at the start of the second half!
And when he came on after four minutes of play, it was only to emerge two minutes later. We won't see him again during the match…
“Half-time substitutions are something we’ve been doing for a long time” the Thunder coach justified himself. “This remains an in-match substitution, and we will keep things flexible. We prefer to be an evolving opponent, and do what we think is best every night. Every match is different. »
Jaylin Williams shows off
To attack the second half, Mark Daigneault preferred Aaron Wiggins, just to strengthen his defense, but he could also have opted for Isaiah Joe to provide shooting, or Jaylin Williams, interesting in the first half.
None of the three bring creativity like Josh Giddey, but the Australian is struggling against Kyrie Irving, and Mark Daigneault seems to be banking on Jaylin Williams to further disrupt the Mavericks' interior game.
“In both games, he gave us a great presence in the circle and in terms of rebounds,” continues Mark Daigneault. “Given the way they defend, it doesn't change us much offensively. We managed to keep our identity. Jaylin shot well early in the game, it made them think twice about some coverages. It's just one more option. At the start of the series, each possession has a lot of importance, but we can create variations.”
