The Oklahoma City Thunder evened the Western Conference Finals at 1-1 after a 122-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 on Wednesday night at the Paycom Center.
Isaiah Hartenstein played a pivotal role, moving into a starting defensive assignment against Spurs star Victor Wembanyama after limited minutes in the series opener.
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Hartenstein logged 27 minutes, contributing 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 13 rebounds, and three assists while holding Wembanyama to just 10 points in the paint.
The defensive adjustments forced the Spurs into 21 turnovers, which the Thunder converted into 27 points, according to NBA.
com tracking data.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault admitted he felt conflicted about his rotation following the double-overtime loss in Game 1.
"It doesn't feel good playing Hart 12 minutes," Daigneault said. "It just didn't feel good to me."
The coach adjusted his strategy by speaking directly to Hartenstein during practice to outline the defensive assignment.
"I grabbed him yesterday to tell him," Daigneault explained. "I said, 'I didn't feel great about you playing 12 minutes last night.'
He said, 'I'll do whatever the team needs to go do.'"
Daigneault praised Hartenstein's professionalism and team-first mindset despite fluctuating minutes in the postseason.
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"The guy is like an ultimate compete-together player," Daigneault said. "He’s a big-time team guy.
He’d rather give an assist than score a point."
