Receiving the handoff pass from Walker Kessler, Lauri Markannen capped off a strong second half with a left-wing 3-pointer to extinguish any hopes of an OKC comeback.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s poor second half led to their 124-117 loss to the Utah Jazz.
“I thought we had a pretty steady first half. I give Utah credit, they showed great resolve,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “I thought they played with great effort and physicality and were able to get the game.
“I thought the glass was a huge issue and I thought the paint was a huge issue. I thought the physicality they showed in the paint… was very uncharacteristic of us on both ends.”
After winning the first two matchups, it looked like OKC would make it 3-for-3 early on. The Thunder built a 33-28 lead following the first quarter. It added to its lead in the second frame to enter halftime with a 68-61 advantage.
In the third quarter, the Thunder eventually created a game-high 12-point lead before the Jazz began to chip away. Utah outscored OKC in the third quarter, 35-24.
The Jazz proceeded to go on a game-altering 21-3 run in the second half that helped them enter the final frame with a 96-92 lead. The Thunder shook off Utah’s run and eventually tied it up at 109 apiece.
A Jalen Williams 3-pointer gave OKC a one-point lead with a little under four minutes left before Utah rattled off five consecutive points to quickly put the Thunder into a four-point hole.
The Thunder couldn’t hit timely baskets as the Jazz continued to add to their lead and ultimately finished the game on a decisive 12-4 run.
Overall, the Thunder shot 48% from the field and went 19-of-37 (51.4%) from 3. They went a costly 12-of-18 from the free-throw line. They also distributed 26 assists on 43 baskets. OKC was led by a trio of 20-point scorers in the loss.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 28 points but on 22 shots. After a three-game absence, Williams had 26 points, five assists and five rebounds. Chet Holmgren scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The bench production was a major difference-maker for the contest, as OKC was outscored by Utah, 45-23, in that department. The Jazz also outscored the Thunder inside of the paint, 60-36.
The Jazz shot 52% from the field and went 14-of-35 (40%) from 3. They went 18-of-20 from the free-throw line. They also tallied 29 assists on 46 baskets. Utah had six players score double-digit points.
Markannen scored a game-high 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting and had 11 rebounds. This included 22 points in the second half to lead the Jazz to the comeback win. He continues to play like an All-Star and performances like these explain Utah’s high asking price for his services.
John Collins contributed with 22 points and nine rebounds. Rookie Keyonte George had 16 points and five assists, including hitting a pair of timely 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
“Those were tough shots,” Daigneault said on Utah’s final frame. “Credit Markannen and George, the shots they made. I thought (Kris) Dunn made some big ones. The shot-making part of it goes in and out… I thought they just got the more stable sources of offense tonight.”
Playing in Utah always provides its challenges, especially with how scrappy the Jazz are this season. The Thunder had chances late to win the season series but couldn’t come up with important baskets. Alas, such is life in the NBA.
The Thunder will now enjoy a rare three-day break as the trade deadline nears. By the time OKC plays again, perhaps it’ll welcome new additions to its roster for the stretch run.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-minus
It was a strong first half for Gilgeous-Alexander as the Thunder led for most of the opening minutes, but a quiet second half by him aligned with OKC letting go of the rope.
In 36 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting, seven assists and four rebounds. He shot 2-of-3 from 3 and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
The first half saw him score 19 points but was limited to nine points in the final two frames — including just four points on 1-of-4 shooting in the fourth quarter. The All-Star starter created plenty of quality looks, but the jumper just didn’t fall for him tonight.
Utah did an excellent job at throwing zones against OKC, but the 28 points on 22 shots is more due to Gilgeous-Alexander’s patent mid-range jumper not falling.
“Shai’s a great player and to stop him and slow him down, you got to put multiple guys on him and I thought that’s what they did,” Daigneault said.
Gilgeous-Alexander added: “The zone jumbled us up, took us out of our rhythm. I think they in the fourth, they just made shots.”
This pass from SGA is 🤌 pic.twitter.com/WvgBKR1YTM
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
Closing out the quarter in style ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Qxy5pmwEja
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
SGA locked in 😤 pic.twitter.com/GVXcOL9wLm
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
Jalen Williams: A
After missing three games with an ankle sprain, Williams made his impact felt for the Thunder despite the loss.
In 35 minutes, Williams had 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, five assists and five rebounds. He went 3-of-6 from 3 and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
After being limited to 13 points in the first three quarters, Williams went nuclear in the final frame for 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting as he tried to wield OKC to the road win.
The 22-year-old went 3-of-4 from 3 in the fourth quarter as the Thunder only scored 25 points on 28% shooting. OKC survived his absence with a 3-0 record but his consistent fourth-quarter takeovers are extremely valuable despite this result.
“I thought he was really good most of the night,” Daigneault said on Williams’ return. “I thought he really competed defensively — especially in the second half. And offensively, seems like he didn’t drop off in terms of rhythm.”
Tough take @jdubwttp 😤 pic.twitter.com/2VIgY8sDm2
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
Number 8 elevates and detonates 🔥@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/dfpKsBCe27
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
Creating space from distance 👌 pic.twitter.com/gQneDcbYRv
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
Chet Holmgren: B-plus
As the outside shot fell for OKC, Holmgren joined in on the fun with another 3-point happy performance.
In 31 minutes, Holmgren had 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, eight rebounds, four blocks, three steals and three assists. He shot 4-of-6 from 3 as he continues to be a vicious pick-and-pop threat for the Thunder.
The seven-foot rookie did most of his damage in the third quarter with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including making three 3-pointers. Utah had no answer for the 21-year-old inside, who shot 4-of-6 inside of the paint that included a pair of alley-oops.
The fourth quarter saw Holmgren — like the rest of the non-Williams players — struggle with just one point in eight minutes. OKC’s offense stagnated in the final frame.
“They hit big shots and we did our best to make those shots tough,” Holmgren said. “But those shots aren’t what beat us. That’s not what won them the game. Credit to them, they put together a lot of great defensive stretches in that fourth quarter.”
Fighting through the defense 💪 pic.twitter.com/lRbZPcMFTV
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
Chet times it just right ⏰ pic.twitter.com/gjqjixgdtY
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
Feeling it 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/t5NiBrqIFy
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
Ousmane Dieng: B
To end on a positive, this is the second consecutive game where Dieng looked like a rotation player. A massive step in the long-term project’s development.
In 11 minutes, Dieng had eight points on 3-of-3 shooting and two rebounds. He made both of his 3-pointers. The 20-year-old has seldom played this season, so two straight quality outings are a positive.
Dieng played 10 of his 11 minutes in the first half, where he looked much smoother when the ball reached him. The Thunder hope he can continue to stack up positive possession like he’s recently had.
“He was good,” Daigneault said on Dieng. “He made those two shots and I thought he was in the mix defensively.”
Di3ng triple pic.twitter.com/iFdEGHzbRm
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 7, 2024
