Fully rested, the Thunder will host the Denver Nuggets in a highly-anticipated home back-to-back on Sunday and Monday. The two games could swing undecided voters to Shai Gilgeous-

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault chimed in on the MVP conversation regarding top candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic ahead of his back-to-back.

After building a 21-point lead, the Thunder saw their advantage dissipate to two in the fourth quarter. Without Oklahoma City’s All-Star tandem, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, or the rest of its starting lineup to save them, the Thunder persevered in the final frame — which stood out most for coach Daigneault.

For Caruso, the timing is perfect for the Thunder.

It escalated within seconds. Thunder assistant David Akinyooye quickly read the situation and stood up in a defensive stance to prevent any of OKC's bench players from stepping on the court and risking possible suspension. OKC security ran onto the court to stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from getting involved to the point they slipped in the mayhem.

The Thunder utilized the league's best defense to balloon their first-place lead. Before the All-Star break, they had a historic 104.5 defensive rating in 54 games. Looking across defensive statistics, OKC was at the top or near it in every single one.

You always have to be where your feet are, stay 0-0, stack days and all the other Mark Daigneault-isms that have transcended coach speak and turned into a livin

The Dallas Mavericks famously deployed zone defenses in their playoff series win last year against the Thunder. It resulted in the Thunder's top-five offense drying up and being dumbed down to Gilgeous-Alexander hitting on bail-out buckets. That wasn't a winning formula and ultimately cost OKC its playoff run.

Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault wasn't overly concerned about his team's sluggish defensive start after the All-Star break.

CBS Sports ranked all 30 head coaches in preparation for the upcoming season. Sam Quinn ranked Daigneault as the No. 6 coach in the league. He categorized the 39-year-old in the "Wunderkinds" tier along with Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy.

Of course, most of the credit for the Thunder’s dominant season will go to their star duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, for good reason, but head coach Mark Daigneault deserves ...

Monday advanced the Thunder to 50-11 this season, its ninth 50-win equivalent season since its inception, tied with the Spurs, Celtics and Nuggets for the most such seasons in that span.