Thunder’s Mark Daigneault Drops 4-Word Reaction to Game 3 Loss to Pacers

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Jun 12, 2025 - 08:00

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Thunder’s Mark Daigneault Drops 4-Word Reaction to Game 3 Loss to Pacers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were on the road on Wednesday night as they faced off against the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City entered Wednesday’s contest looking to build off their dominant victory in Game 2 to take the lead in the series.

Instead, it was the Pacers who found themselves taking control of the series as they grabbed the 116-107 victory to take a 2-1 series lead.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren gestures after scoring against the Philadelphia 76ers at Paycom Center on March 19, 2025.Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder got off to a hot start in the game behind Chet Holmgren as they led 32-24 at the end of the first quarter.

Indiana then stormed back in the second quarter, outscoring Oklahoma City 40-28 to take a four-point lead into halftime.

Oklahoma City then started the second half strong as they regained the lead in the third quarter before they were outscored 32-18 in the fourth, which ultimately led to their defeat.

The Thunder did see Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams all score more than 20 points in Wednesday’s game but some missed free throws down the stretch and an abundance of turnovers hurt their chances and eventually led to the loss.

After the game, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault had a four-word reaction to their loss.

“The turnovers were uncharacteristic,” Daigneault said after Wednesday’s loss.

Mark Daigneault: “The turnovers were uncharacteristic.” pic.twitter.com/NJL2g38Enj— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 12, 2025

Daigneault is completely right with this statement as the Thunder committed 19 turnovers in the game while only forcing 14 by the Pacers.

This was a surprising situation for Oklahoma City as they led the league in forced turnovers this season while they committed the least amount in the NBA, which was a major reason for their success.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams speaks with head coach Mark Daigneault during their game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on Feb. 6, 2024.Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Despite this, the Thunder made some crucial mistakes during Game 3 due to Indiana’s stifling defense and they will need to clean things up in Game 4 on Friday night as they try to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole in the series.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.