Although it isn’t a playoff game, the Salt Lake City matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz may feel like one to these two young teams.
Both the visiting Thunder (38-42) and the struggling Jazz (36-43), both of whom are currently reeling, are still in the running for a spot in the play-in tournament. despite the fact that both teams are coming into this matchup having lost three consecutive games.
With victories in its final two games—at Utah and against Memphis on Sunday—Oklahoma City has the upper hand and has the potential to secure a postseason berth.
Utah, which has lost seven of eight, has a difficult move with three games remaining. The Jazz must not only catch up to Oklahoma City, but Dallas also has the head-to-head tiebreaker and was just ahead of them going into Wednesday’s game.
Regardless, when looking at the big picture, both teams are pleased to be in this position.
The Thunder, like the Jazz, remain competitive even when they lose. They played well in recent defeats to Phoenix and Indiana and led for the majority of the game against the Warriors.
In the game against the Warriors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to shine, scoring 32 points, and rookie guard Jalen Williams added 19 points.
The Jazz appeared to be down and out at home against LeBron James and Co. late in Tuesday’s down. The Jazz stormed back to force overtime despite trailing the Lakers by 10 points with 1:43 remaining, but ultimately lost 135-133.
Keep in mind that Utah did not have three starters who were out with injuries: Lauri Markkanen (hand), Jordan Clarkson (hand), and Walker Kessler (concussion). Additionally, Collin Sexton’s return from a hamstring injury only allowed him to play more than 15 minutes. Sexton is said to be out for the game on Thursday.
With their next-man-up attitude, the Jazz depended on 23 focuses each from Kelly Olynyk (seven bounce back, seven helps) and Talen Horton-Exhaust (seven helps) alongside 22 focuses from Ochai Agbaji. Even without their best players, the Jazz had 29 assists and seven players reached double figures.
This season, the Thunder have prevailed in two of the three meetings with Utah.
