The fourth quarter really changed the perception of this game. It looked like the Oklahoma City Thunder were going to be handed a second straight blowout loss against a northwest divisional for at home by the Utah Jazz as they trailed by as much as 23 points. The final score of the game was 116-103 and considering how bleak things were looking for the majority of the game, the Thunder should be appreciative of their effort and a final push to make this game competitive near the end.
For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was great once again as he finished with 33 points on 23 shots and 12 trips to the free-throw line. Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the best players in the league since the All-Star Break due to his high-scoring, high-efficiency streak of games he is currently on.
The Jazz shot the ball like one would expect the top offensive rating team to shoot it as the team went 23-of-52 (44.2 percent) from three this game. This included Bojan Bogdanovic making a career-high 11 threes this game as he finished with 35 points. Donovan Mitchell finished with 24 points and 10 assists while Rudy Gobert finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds. Off the bench, Jordan Clarkson added 20 points.
Overall, the Thunder turned what could’ve been a second straight blowout loss to a respectable double digit loss with its fourth quarter efforts. This is a sign of a well coached team that the players — especially in the Thunder’s case where they are currently shorthanded and forced to play multiple G League guys heavy minutes — are able to stay within the game and not let the scoreboard discourage its performance. Let’s take a look at player grades.
