The Oklahoma City Thunder came into this game following a loss to the Chicago Bulls. There’s nothing like home cooking especially when it’s against the team that eliminated you in the playoffs. The Utah Jazz beat the Thunder in a seven-game series last season and the Thunder fans let it be known they didn’t forget. The Thunder have been clicking on all cylinders and look like the best team in the west. The overall play from the Thunder as a unit was on full display as the Utah Jazz didn’t know what hit them. Steven Adams has been the man that starts out games for the Thunder and he did just that against Rudy Gobert. Steven was able to get him in early foul trouble and was able to take control of the paint with ease. Steven was able to get to the basket whether it was the pick and roll, backing down, or his jump hook. Adams finished the game with 22 points and 7 rebounds on the night. Adams was able to set the tone in that first half while Paul George and Russell Westbrook were still trying to find a rhythm.
Gobert was in some foul trouble the one bright spot for the Jazz all night was Donovan Mitchell. The Thunder were throwing different defensive players at Mitchell trying to make it tougher on the second year guard. Mitchell was able to get his jumper going but it was a little too late. Donovan Mitchell finished the game with 19 points for the Jazz but a lot of his buckets came in the second quarter. The Jazz got down at one point by 29 points and found themselves trying to claw back into the game desperately. The Thunder have found their niche and identity this season on both the defensive/offensive end. Russell Westbrook didn’t have his best night shooting but the man that came to his rescue was Paul George. The man they call PG-13 took over in the 3rd quarter of the game as he scored 17 points in that quarter alone. When a player of his caliber gets it going like that especially in a quarter there isn’t much that can be done. Paul George was hitting 3 pointers and slashing to the basket with ease. The Thunder team as a whole noticed what was going on and kept feeding Paul the ball as he continued to grow the lead against the Jazz. Paul George finished with a game-high 31 points on 8-10 shooting from the field and was able to do whatever he wanted tonight.
Russell Westbrook didn’t have the shooting night he wanted but finished with another triple-double (12 PTS,10 AST, 11 REB) on the night. The beauty about this situation is in past seasons if Westbrook didn’t play a great game the Thunder would be in trouble. This time around having someone like Paul George in his corner helped the situation. Westbrook still managed to get his teammates involved and took advantage of the smaller Rubio defending him. No one in the league can stop Westbrook in the point guard position it seems like this season and he continued to show that even on an off night for him. The Thunder had 5 players in double figures and were able to move the ball as they finished the game with 25 assists. The Thunder have committed to the defensive end and also have improved the ball movement so much this season. The players like Jerami Grant, Dennis Schroder, and Nerlens have the experience and can help on the second unit on a nightly basis like they did tonight. When the Thunder play together as a whole they’re tough to beat any night. The Utah Jazz was in foul trouble but just weren’t able to get anything going offensively as they shot 27% from 3 point land. The Thunder defense deserves a lot of credit and will try to continue this against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
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