This is the first regular-season game for the OKC Thunder since March 11th and it happened to be against the Utah Jazz. The NBA postponed after Rudy Gobert was the first player to have a positive result for Covid-19. Everyone in the NBA was waiting for this game to come back around and it happened today 4 months later. Players and coaches have been waiting to get this game going because this is where it ended. Both teams kneeled during the National Anthem today and showcased their social injustice messages. The OKC Thunder came into this game 3-0 after the scrimmage games and they didn’t stop today. This Thunder team is playing with the utmost confidence and they looked unbeatable on both ends of the floor. Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put the Thunder on their back early as they set the tone. Chris Paul looked really good out there as he was able to create offense for himself and others. CP3 put his leadership on full display as he was able to put up 18 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds on the night. CP3 pretty much had the Utah Jazz defenders on a string as he was able to get to his spots all day and it didn’t matter if Rudy Gobert was there or not. Chris Paul has shown that he’s still got a lot of game left in the tank and it’s clear that his vision/playmaking ability won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
One thing that’s for sure with CP3 is that he’s been rubbing off on his teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who’s been emerging as one of the best young talents in this league. This is Shai’s second season in the NBA but his game is as smooth as a veteran. Today the Utah Jazz were able to see the growth and maturity in Shai’s game as he finished with 19 points and 6 assists. Some of the moves that Shai put on display vs Utah were extremely smooth and he was able to get by Rudy Gobert a couple of times. The Thunder focused on attacking the paint and they went right at the DPOY Rudy Gobert all day. The Thunder are playing with a lot of confidence right now that allows them to play with a lot of chemistry. Steven Adams was the best big on the floor tonight as he finished with a double-double 16 points and 11 rebounds. Adams was able to defend at a high level and was able to help the Thunder dominate all phases of the game.
It was a full team effort against Utah and they were able to slow down Donovan Mitchell today. The defense of Lu Dort on Mitchell won’t be on the stat sheet but he was all over Mitchell from the tip as he held him to 13 points on 5/15 from the field. Dort wasn’t able to add too much on the offensive end but he made up for it with his job on Mitchell. It seemed that the Utah Jazz wasn’t ready for the Thunder rush that hit them from the jump. The Jazz did play against the Pelicans already so that was their second game but still this is the NBA so no excuses. The Jazz has been struggling since losing Bojan Bogdanović and they’re trying to find a true rhythm in the offense. The Thunder have a roster full of 3&D ballhawks who don’t really give you a chance to do anything without them being pests. The Jazz just didn’t have it and they were behind the Thunder from the tipoff and couldn’t get within 20 points throughout the game. Jordan Clarkson was an instant offense in the game against the Pelicans but he wasn’t able to do that today and that hurt them. This probably won’t be the last time these two teams meet up but if it is the Thunder have the tiebreaker and they’ve had the Utah Jazz’s number all season.
The OKC Thunder play against the Denver Nuggets on Monday at 3 pm as they look to move up in position. OKC’s undefeated in Orlando and they look to be playing with a lot of chemistry right now which isn’t good for the league.
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