Career Night from Gilgeous-Alexander Propels OKC Thunder to Win Over Utah

Still without its two big men, the Oklahoma City Thunder went to battle against a mostly healthy Utah Jazz, walking away with a 123-114 victory, improving to 36-7 on the season.

The Thunder faithful were in for a surprise treat against the Jazz as OKC star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a career-high in points. He scored 54 points on 17-for-35 shooting to summarize his career-best performance.

Utah forwards John Collins and Lauri Markkanen both made their returns for this matchup. Collins hadn’t played since Jan. 4 and Markkanen since Jan. 11. It created an interesting rotation, as young talent has taken over the Utah roster.

It was the Jazz that got out to a hot start, leading by five points at most in the first quarter. No single player stood out in that run, getting contributions from Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Collins and others. Shots simply weren’t falling in that stretch and Utah’s defense was also holding up its end of the bargain.

OKC’s defense proceeded to step up at the end of the first quarter and defensive master Alex Caruso was the driving force behind it. He forced two straight turnovers at the end of the quarter that resulted in a mid-range jumper from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but his general presence and quick hands also made a difference.

Caruso’s hustle and scoring on the offensive end also made an impact. He finished with seven points on 3-for-7 shooting, adding three rebounds and five steals to his consistent stat line. OKC would eventually take the lead in the second quarter and, again, Caruso was the main reason for it.

Cason Wallace and Gilgeous-Alexander also helped in the first-half lead. Wallace ended the half with 10 points and Gilgeous-Alexander with 23. Wallace only missed one shot in that period of time.

Turnovers were the detriment of the Utah Jazz and the saving grace of the Thunder in the first half. Oklahoma City forced 14 in the half and 27 in the game, scoring 39 points off of those turnovers. Despite a late surge from the Jazz, OKC led 57-55 at the half-time break.

That late first-half surge from the visitors carried into the second, with the Jazz staying connected. Markkanen was the main reason for that, hitting from the outside and inside of it, too.

At the same time, Gilgeous-Alexander continued his scoring frenzy by getting to the free-throw line and attacking his classic mid-range spots. When shots weren’t falling, the charity stripe became his best friend. He went 17-for-18 from the free throw line by the time the game ended, using an easy scoring tool to his advantage.

For the third time in the last four games, Branden Carlson was hot from the perimeter. He finished with six points while going 2-for-4 from the outside. On his second 10-day contract in a row, Carlson continues to make an impact off the bench for the Thunder.

Utah came out swinging in the fourth quarter, lowering its deficit to only one point after two triples from Collin Sexton and a frantic layup from Collins. The rest of the quarter was tightly contested.

The main reason for the closeness of the game was the rebound battle going in favor of the Jazz. Utah won that competition 52 to 39 and grabbed 23 offensive rebounds compared to OKC’s 13. This was the most glaring statistical difference in the game.

Both teams were on the hunt for momentum late in the fourth quarter and it was OKC who found it, starting with an and-one bucket from Jalen Williams. Back-to-back triples from Wallace and Gilgeous-Alexander, with a pair of free throws after, increased OKC’s lead to 11 points.

The Thunder continue its solid play with a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks at home at 7:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, Jan. 23.

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