Word came down late last week that Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault wouldn’t be accompanying his team on its three-game road trip, as Daigneault’s wife Ashley was soon expecting their first child. So the team tapped assistant Dave Bliss, a nine-year vet of the Thunder organization, to lead OKC through its Eastern Conference swing.Bliss, a University of Georgia product who cut his teeth under Shaka Smart at VCU, joined the Thunder staff in 2010 as a video analyst and player development coach. After three seasons with the New York Knicks, Bliss rejoined Oklahoma City as an assistant in 2018 and served as head coach for its summer league squad in 2019. (He’s not related to the disgraced former Baylor coach of the same name.)Bliss has been well-prepared for a head coaching opportunity, but he got a challenging draw for his first go. Coming off a home win over lowly Houston on Wednesday, the Thunder played Milwaukee and Boston on back-to-back nights to begin the road trip.Both games were losses, but the Thunder acquitted themselves well against the Eastern Conference powers.Though it trailed by as much as 20 in the contest, Oklahoma City made it close Friday night when it visited the defending champion Bucks. The Thunder cut the deficit to just two points in the final minutes, but it felt as though a lid was on the basket as the Thunder missed chance after chance to even the score or pull ahead.Jeremiah Robinson-Earl netted the Thunder’s final points with a made 3 just before the 2:30 mark. But Shai Gilgeous- Alexander missed three consecutive 3-point shots in the ensuing plays, and turned the ball over on another. Milwaukee struggled from the field, too, but finally extended its precarious lead on a Giannis turnaround fadeaway with half a minute to go.SGA finished the night with 17 points, a team high, but had a tough shooting night at just 5 for 20 overall and a paltry 2 for 12 from long distance.Mike Muscala again proved crucial for OKC’s hopes against Milwaukee, as he neared a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds in just over 20 minutes off the bench.Looking to bounce back against Boston the next night, the Thunder dug themselves yet another hole. This time they got down by 25 points in the third quarter, only to cut the game to just four in the fourth behind a 3-point barrage.With ...
