The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder took care of business and got everything they wanted offensively in a dominant 146-111 win over the Jazz on Sunday.
It was never close. The Thunder had a 40-25 lead after the first quarter and led by as many as 43 points.
Defending NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated with 20 points on 70% shooting, seven assists and four rebounds in just 24 minutes.
The Thunder jumped out to a quick double-digit lead in the first quarter off dishes in the paint. Chet Holmgren was the most common recipient and led Oklahoma City in scoring with 21 points on 73% shooting.
Holmgren also connected on four of five shots from distance and shored up the paint with four blocks.
Oklahoma City had seven players finish with double digits, including Utah native Branden Carlson, who ended with 11 points in just eight minutes.
The Jazz’s defense was mostly nonexistent in the loss. In total, the Thunder scored 33 points off turnovers, 46 points in the paint and hit 24 3-pointers on 53% shooting. The Thunder were not short of quality looks at the basket.
Oklahoma City’s starters didn’t see the floor in the fourth quarter.
For Utah, once again, Brice Sensabaugh led the scoring effort with 34 points, including shooting six of 10 from beyond the arc.
Kyle Filipowski had 20 points, but it took 25 shots to get there. He had 14 rebounds for the double-double. Svi Mykhailiuk scored 17 points off the bench for Utah and rookie Ace Bailey contributed 14 points in the loss.
After the Thunder benched the starters in the third quarter, Utah briefly cut the lead to 21. However, Oklahoma City’s bench continued to run away with the game.
Sunday’s loss was the Jazz’s ninth consecutive, and they have now just won three of their last 24 games. Utah has just three games left in the season, with contests remaining against the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers.