Oklahoma City used a pair of defensive stops of Utah’s Simone Fontecchio and Jordan Clarkson to earn a sigh of relief and collect an intense 134-129 over the Jazz. The result snapped a two-game losing skid for OKC and a six-game winning streak for Utah.
“That was an impressive 48-minute effort in the middle of a road trip off those two games we just had the other day,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “We’re not feeling 100%, yet really competed for 48 minutes together on both ends.
“They’re the hottest team in the league coming in. They play with a lot of confidence. They put a lot of game pressure on us and the crowd was great. It was a great experience for us.”
Even though the Thunder led wire-to-wire, the Jazz threatened throughout the entire contest. OKC led 39-27 following the first quarter and 76-67 at halftime.
A 28-point third quarter by the Jazz cut OKC’s advantage to 98-95 entering the final quarter. What followed was an exciting final 12 minutes.
In their non-SGA lineup, the Thunder started the final quarter on a 15-7 run to build a 113-102 lead a little over three minutes into the final period. However, Utah cut it to four points with a little less than two minutes left.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored with the shot clock ticking away to push the lead back to six, but Collin Sexton quickly got those points back on a dunk.
On the ensuing possession, Cason Wallace hit a massive left-wing 3-pointer to give OKC a seven-point lead with 52 seconds left. Clarkson quickly made a 3-pointer on the other end to return it to a four-point contest with 42 seconds remaining.
A monster Chet Holmgren block on Walker Kessler with 12 seconds left served as a defensive dagger. Utah had a couple of more scrambling chances to potentially tie it before the final buzzer sounded.
All five Thunder starters scored at least 15 points. OKC shot 56% from the field and went 14-of-32 (43.8%) from 3. Led by Gilgeous-Alexander, it converted 24-of-28 free throws.
The Thunder dished 36 assists on 48 baskets, including a franchise-record 24 assists in the first half. They also scored a season-high 76 points in the first half.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points including a monster 15-of-17 night from the free-throw line. Jalen Williams continues his ascension with 27 points on 14 shots and eight assists.
“We’re learning fast,” Williams said on attacking Utah’s zone. “I think that’s the biggest thing with how young we are — we’re able to kinda flush one game, understand what we need to do better and go out there and execute.”
Josh Giddey also had one of his best games of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Holmgren added 15 points and four blocks. Wallace, who was given the spot start, scored 16 points.
“They’re a talented team and they kept coming at us all night,” Giddey said. “We knew coming in, they were the hottest team in the league — especially in front of their home fans. It’s a tough place to play… I think we all did a great job weathering the storm down the stretch.”
Meanwhile, the Jazz also had a high-octane scoring outing. Utah shot 48% from the field and went 13-of-32 (40.6%) from 3. It had a busy night at the charity stripe, shooting 30-of-36. The Jazz had 33 assists on 43 baskets.
Sexton scored 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting and had seven assists. Lauri Markannen had 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. John Collins tallied 21 points and four rebounds.
This was a massive win for the Thunder, who needed to get out of their two-game losing funk. Beating the Jazz — one of the hottest teams in the league — is the exact type of boost OKC has recently yearned for.
“I think all but two teams have a very condensed January because of the in-season tournament,” Daigneault said. “You look at some of the scores at night, there’s like some gorey scores right now so I don’t think anybody is feeling great.
“We’re drumming up a good amount of energy I think. Tonight is a good example, we probably didn’t have our fastball physically but we had our fastball mentally and competitively and that’s all we can ask for… I always try to evaluate our competitiveness and energy and I thought that was there tonight.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
After a mini two-game slump, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to form as the MVP candidate he’s been this season.
In 35 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points on 8-of-15 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. He got to the free-throw line frequently with a 15-of-17 night.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a strong start with 10 points in the first quarter. He also scored nine points in the third frame as OKC was limited to 22 points.
In the final three minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a couple of timely buckets and made both free throws to help lead the Thunder to the win — including a massive bailout bucket late in the shot clock to give OKC a six-point advantage with 1:13 left.
“Situations like that just force you to play off instinct,” Gilgeous-Alexander on his turnaround fadeaway. “That’s kinda what just happened. I tried to go left, got cut off and made a countermove and tried to shoot a shot I shot many times and it went in.”
The Jazz had no real answer for Gilgeous-Alexander, who got to his spots with ease and nailed high-difficulty midrange jumpers. He toyed with Utah and got to the free-throw line as often as he liked.
This was a stellar performance by Gilgeous-Alexander, who continues to be one of the best players in the league.
Music to our ears 🎶#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/fgiZGOceyM
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 19, 2024
Shai right before the buzzer 🔥
Vote Shai: https://t.co/2FFNkzxxzm pic.twitter.com/twiEce4UPA
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
Shai doing Shai things 🚨
Vote Shai: https://t.co/2FFNkzxxzm pic.twitter.com/zGWsjxF4mk
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
Jalen Williams: A-plus
Grabbing a miss, Williams dribbled the ball up and splashed in a transition pull-up 3-pointer. The shot gave OKC an 11-point lead with nine minutes left — but more importantly, it was a real eye-opening moment that showed fans a glimpse of a multi-time All-Star wing.
But for right now, fans will have to settle with a highly efficient scoring wing whose lineups not only survive non-SGA minutes but thrive in them.
Against the Jazz, Williams had 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, eight assists, three rebounds and two steals. He shot 4-of-5 from 3 — including a pair of crucial outside shots in the final frame.
Williams continues to add to his mythos of clutch fourth quarters with 11 points against Utah. He helped OKC get off to a hot start and build a double-digit lead.
Williams’ final basket was a massive 3-pointer that gifted OKC an eight-point lead with five minutes left. He eventually fouled out in the last moments but the Thunder survived the final 20 seconds without him.
“He’s been doing that,” Daigneault said on Williams. “He’s been on one lately in the fourth quarter, throughout the games, super efficient… The guy lines up and guards a premiere matchup every night. Tonight it was Markannen.”
Just a massive night from Williams, who continues to establish himself as the second-best player on the Thunder. The 22-year-old’s ceiling is limitless as he provides OKC with another talented scorer and playmaker.
“He’s been great,” Giddey said on Williams. “He usually starts the fourth with Shai on the bench. Puts the balls in his hands a lot. I think he flourishes in those moments.
“He loves the challenge of putting the team on his back down the stretch and making big plays. It’s something you can’t teach, he’s gifted with that.”
Williams added: “I think I just understand my team more. I feel like I’ve always been in that creator role — especially coming from Santa Clara. That was like a majority of what I was doing. Having more and more opportunity to be in those situations…
“We have really talented players, so it’s not overly complicated on where guys feel comfortable.”
High energy. High speed. pic.twitter.com/ZYKF6mbjJP
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
J-DUB 💪#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/HedUL0EJmT
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 19, 2024
As @ParisNLawson said, right place, right time 🤝 pic.twitter.com/DZK4GYBJdt
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
Josh Giddey: A
Pushing the ball in transition, Giddey hit the Jazz with the Eurostep for a second-quarter bucket. The fancy layup caused his teammates to celebrate on the bench by mimicking the move.
Giddey felt himself all night long in Utah. He finished with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 10 rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes.
It’s been a struggle for the third-year guard this season. He’s played a career-low in minutes this year. But against the Jazz, he looked identical to the high-end starting guard he was his first two seasons.
The 21-year-old roamed in the paint and served as an off-ball cutter, the role suited him as he shot 5-of-8 inside of the paint. He only went 1-of-5 from 3, but that wasn’t detrimental due to his constant off-ball movement.
“Teams have been zoning us a lot lately,” Giddey said on OKC’s cutters. “We kinda started to figure out how to attack it best… Tonight I thought we made a heavy emphasis of getting to the paint, making the zone collapse.”
If Giddey is going to turn his season around, he’ll need to put up more games like these consistently. This win is a blueprint for OKC to use to properly utilize him.
Coast-to-Coast 🏝️#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/qfJ4KSYml3
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 19, 2024
Dub 🤝 Josh x 2 pic.twitter.com/0GxWxNj79A
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
Chet Holmgren: B
Hitting a bit of a rookie wall, Holmgren has struggled throughout this road trip. Against Utah, he had 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, five rebounds and five assists. He shot 2-of-6 from 3. This was a far cry from the otherwise efficient center.
Nonetheless, Holmgren’s four blocks — including his last one — are enough to overlook the poor shooting outing. The seven-footer continues to provide elite rim protection for OKC.
Holmgren met Walker Kessler at the apex of an important shot attempt and blocked it with 12 seconds left as OKC led by four points. This was a nice serving of revenge considering Kessler blocked Holmgren the previous possession.
It was a massive moment for Holmgren in an otherwise forgettable night for him. To his credit, he got the critical stop when OKC needed it the most.
“For sure, I threw one lob last year,” Williams said on how big of a difference Holmgren’s presence provides. “He gives us a lot offensively. He’s able to stretch the floor and shoot it well. He’s a lob threat as well with the rolls. He does a good job at short-rolling too. Good passer, good shooter, smart IQ and obviously defensively, we can utilize him in a lot of situations.”
Everything about this sequence >>>
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— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
Thunder connections on full display 🧬@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/UNwopUQBL0
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
N🚫 shot
Vote Chet: https://t.co/2FFNkzxxzm pic.twitter.com/Ts9NEFHjh1
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
Closed it out with defense pic.twitter.com/LnJj1P8W53
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
Cason Wallace: A
Starting in place of Lu Dort — who was out with an illness — Wallace fit right in with the rest of the starters.
In 32 minutes, Wallace had a season-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and four rebounds. He shot 4-of-5 from 3.
The 20-year-old hit a pair of huge 3-pointers in the final four minutes to seal the road win for OKC. This included the aforementioned left-wing 3-pointer to give OKC a seven-point lead with 52 seconds left.
It was a great performance by Wallace, who seamlessly fits with the starters when called upon. The rookie guard continues to be a key contributor for the Thunder.
“He’s not flinching,” Daigneault said on Wallace. “He’s really been like that from the get-go… He takes on pretty major matchups. Sexton’s playing as well as anybody right now and he guarded him and had his chest on him on a lot of plays.”
Defense ➡️ Offense ⛈️#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/RDAZNms8IS
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 19, 2024
Locked in on defense ➡️ Cross-court pass ➡️ Cason corner three 👌 pic.twitter.com/laR0AjGLV1
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 19, 2024
