When the Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen was on the court, it was no accident that the Oklahoma City Thunder had Luguentz Dort there.
The strategy paid off, as Dort made Markkanen’s life difficult during Oklahoma City’s 130-103 victory.
When the teams meet again on Sunday in Oklahoma City, Utah will have a quick chance to make up for the loss.
The Jazz committed 26 turnovers, their most since 2015, and Markkanen had six of them, four of which Dort forced.
With an average of 17 forced turnovers per game, the Thunder lead the league.
Markkanen, who scored 20 points on Friday, is under more pressure as a result of Utah’s Jordan Clarkson missing the previous two games because of a thumb sprain. Both of those games were losses.
The Jazz gave guard Kris Dunn a second 10-day contract on Saturday.
In the loss on Friday, Dunn had 11 points, six rebounds, and six assists for Utah. He has played in four games this season.
Due to the league’s health and safety guidelines, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has missed the last five games due to an abdominal strain.
Due to a wrist injury that ended the season, Kenrich Williams has missed the last two games. Aaron Wiggins will likely get more regular playing time as a result of Williams’ injury.
This season, Wiggins has been in and out of the Thunder’s rotation, but he has played at least 23 minutes in each of the last four games and scored 27 points in Friday’s victory.
With a left hamstring strain, Utah has also been without Collin Sexton for the last four games.
This season, the teams have played four games, the third of which is on Sunday. This season, the Jazz and Thunder have split two games.
