Mark Daigneault honest admission on Ajay Mitchell’s 20 attempts before Thunder’s Game 4

PHOENIX — Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell scored 15 points in his first playoff career start in Game 3 against the Phoenix Suns, finishing 5-of-20 from the floor, which triggered an honest response from coach Mark Daigneault. The Thunder’s flowing offense gives its players free range to be aggressive, which encourages guys to improvise.

Mitchell, in only his second season with the Thunder, wasn’t afraid of the moment, welcoming the challenging of starting in his first playoff game on the road with open arms, which is the kind of approach Daigneault appreciates.

“20’s a lot,” Daigneault said with a laugh. “I give him credit — I said that after the game. He’s a second-year player. He didn’t play a full rotation in the playoffs last year. He’s starting his first playoff game on the road. That’s a tough situation. He’s only gotten better with every circumstance. It makes it so easy to ride through it. We want guys to err on the side of confidence. J-Will didn’t make shots in the first couple of games. He goes out there, and he’s ripping shots.”

Mitchell also finished a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, and with six rebounds.

“I much rather that than him hiding,” Daigneault added. “McCain hasn’t played the first two games. He shoots eight shots in seven minutes. I much rather that, seriously. You’re going to fail in these games. It’s hard. If you fail, passively, there’s no upside to that. If you fail aggressively, there’s upside. You can make plays. You can make shots. And we want an aggressive team.”

Alex Caruso’s 13 points led the bench. Jaylin Williams added eight points, including two threes, and Jared McCain added seven points.

“Was it a perfect game? No,” Daigneault said. “But, did he lean into the competition? Yes. And, we’re taking that 10 out of 10 times.”

The Thunder will look to close out its first-round opponent in Game 4.

Mark Daigneault reacts to Thunder’s 3-0 lead

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault commended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s approach to Game 3, recording a playoff career-high 42 points, while remaining poised in leading his team to a 3-0 lead in their best-of-7 series. Heading into a potential sweep, Daigneault gave Gilgeous-Alexander his flowers for his focused demeanor.

“He’s never thrown off by anything outside of himself,” Daigneault said. “He’s mastered the art of staying disciplined and staying inside of himself. Controlling what he can control at a very high level. That’s what allows him to stay in games when things aren’t going his way. I think that’s what allows him to improve. He feels a sense of control over his game/his craft, and as a result, he also feels a sense of control over his performance.”

Mark Daigneault’s reaction to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s playoff career-high 42-point performance in Game 3: He’s mastered the art of staying disciplined and staying inside of himself.

Controlling what he can control at a very high level. That’s what allows him to stay in games… pic.twitter.com/7VqG6dJhdP

— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) April 25, 2026

The Suns will host the Thunder for Game 4 on Monday.

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