Three Takeaways From Thunder's Blowout Win Over Utah Jazz

Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way in group play action on Tuesday night.

Dec 3, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) gestures after scoring a three point basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half of an NBA Cup game at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder officially advanced to the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday night, defeating the Utah Jazz 133-106.

It wasn't much of a close contest for the entirety of the game, especially after the Thunder dominated in the third quarter with 40 points. Jalen Williams' 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting led the team in scoring, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed with 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting.

Combined with a strong defensive effort and a couple players on the bench having big games, it was an easy one for Oklahoma City to come up with the upper hand. As a team, it shot 52% from the field and 36% from 3-point range.

The Thunder will face off against the Dallas Mavericks in a playoff rematch in the quarterfinals.

Here are three takeaways from the 27-point victory:

Stealin' and Scorin'

As typical of Oklahoma City this season, it's defense came up huge in grabbing the eventual win over Utah.

The Thunder collectively grabbed 18 steals on the night, scoring a grand total of 45 points off the Jazz. It made for easy fastbreak opportunities that it allowed it to have such a significant lead, and about everyone got in on the action.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins all grabbed three steals by the end of the game. Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed two, while several players down the lineup were able to secure one. It was a party on the defensive end for Oklahoma City all-night long.

Despite two key players on defense being out for now — Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso — the Thunder still rank as a top defensive unit in the NBA currently. It's a testament to how deep its talent pool on that end is, but also the system that coach Mark Daigneault has built to keep to the strength of his players.

With that much capitalization from steals, it's not surprise the game ended in the manner it did.

Bench Unit Steps Up

Despite the depth chart being a little depleted, Oklahoma City got plenty of production from its bench unit last night.

Isaiah Joe had one of the his best games of the year thus far, dropping 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 shooting from the behind the arc. He's been a spark plug of sorts for the Thunder, and that was ever prevalent against Utah.

Wiggins was yet another bright spot, continuing his excellent play off the bench. The forward dropped 16 points of his own on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, as well as strong defense with the three steals and one block.

Rookie Dillon Jones even had a quality peformance in 16 minutes — recording eight points and four rebounds on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.

While the Thunder deal with injuries, having a bench unit that can peform like that on any given night will be important moving forward. Especially in cup play, it'll need it against a talented Mavericks team.

Crown Williams an All-Star Already

There's still a couple months before the All-Star break, but c'mon. With the way Williams has played this season, there's no reason that he shouldn't receive his first selection as long as he doesn't suffer an injury.

The 23-year-old is averaging 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.1 steals and a block on 50.5/39/80% shooting splits. So far, it's the highest points per game of his young career.

Williams held down the fort at the center position for a couple-week stretch when both Holmgren and Hartenstein were unavailable, helping steer the ship of an Oklahoma City team that could've dropped off in the Western Conference ladder. It may not have been his usual position, but he showcased his flexibility with taking on the role in stride.

Since Hartenstein debuted, Williams has gone back to the power forward and continued his success. If the Thunder finish as a top seed in the West by the break — which it should — it's going to be hard for it not to receive two All-Star selections.

And if anyone gets it besides Gilgeous-Alexander it'll be Williams. No question about it.

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