OKC Thunder Gets Right, Silences Utah Jazz On Road to End 2-Game Skid

After dropping each of its last two games, the Oklahoma City Thunder wanted a win against the red-hot Utah Jazz to spark some positive momentum heading into facing the Minnesota Timberwolves, and after a full four quarters, that's exactly what it got.

Halfway through a four-game road trip with as many losses as tries, the Oklahoma City Thunder headed to Salt Lake City with eyes on a win.

Not only would coming out victorious allow the second youngest team in the NBA to reset and get back on the right side of their record sheet, but it would also provide some much-needed momentum before facing the West-leading Minnesota Timberwolves. 

A win there would mean drastic seeding implications — especially if both squads continue to go blow-for-blow down the stretch — but before the Thunder could set its sights on beating Minnesota, it had to deal with the Utah Jazz.

Entering Thursday's matchup, the Jazz sat just one spot ahead of the No. 10-seeded Los Angeles Lakers and needed a win to remain solidly in the Play-In Tournament, but also sat on the opposite side of the momentum spectrum.

Utah was red-hot off of a six-game win streak and looked to keep it going behind hot shooting from behind the arc — finishing with a 41-percent clip from long range — but ultimately fell just short of the turnaround Thunder, losing 134-129 at home. 

Oklahoma City was led by Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who combined for 58 points and 14 assists on the night to go along with Josh Giddey's efficient 20-point double-double of his own. 

Collectively, the Thunder's starters did the heavy lifting, as all five finished with double figures by the end of the night.

For the Jazz, a dynamic trio of John Collins, Colin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen did the blunt of the scoring, combining for 78 points in the losing effort while Jordan Clarkson chipped in from the bench with 18 points of his own, though it wasn't enough.

Jan 18, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) shoots the ball past Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the second quarter at Delta Center / © Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

From the jump, Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey set the tone for the Thunder. Together, the pair scored all eight of their team's points en route to an early lead, and as the quarter progressed, so did that cushion. 

A 3-pointer from Williams midway through the first quarter gave Oklahoma City its first double-digit lead of the night, which ended up holding until the end of the first period, when it held a commanding 12-point advantage over the Jazz after being up by as many as 15.

The last time both squads faced off, Markkanen didn't make an appearance, so with his presence available and ready, the Jazz capitalized. The Finnish big man notched another five points to round out an efficient first half as Utah attempted to stay relevant in the second quarter. 

And that it did, but it still wasn't not enough. 

With second ticking just prior to halftime, Giddey possessed the ball in the right-post and found a streaking Williams in the paint for an explosive slam dunk, both preventing Utah from generating momentum and sucking the air out of Delta Center.

The Jazz ended up notching one more point from the latter half of a pair of free throws, but Chet Holmgren nullified that and more, knocking in a 3-pointer to give his team a nine-point lead at intermission.

As @ParisNLawson said, right place, right time 🤝 pic.twitter.com/DZK4GYBJdt

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024

The third quarter was seemingly primed to be more of the same in the first minute of play, but it wasn't long before the Jazz started to find a groove. Behind John Collins and Sexton, Utah clawed its way back into the game and almost re-took the lead, but with every shot it made, the Thunder matched, as it took a slim 3-point lead to the fourth.

And by that point, the damage had already been done. Utah was exhausted, and it showed, as Oklahoma City built back its cushion to multiple scores by the halfway mark of the final period. Markkanen and company did their best to spark some last-minute offense, but it was too little, too late as the Thunder ultimately settled with a 134-129 victory on the road to break its two-game losing streak.

With the win, the Thunder improve to 28-13 on the season and move within 1.5 games of Minnesota just a few days prior to facing it. A win there would bring Oklahoma City even closer to the No. 1 seed as both squads continue to search for a favorable playoff matchup. 

But that's not until Saturday. Tipoff from Target Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.

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