What to Watch For: Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Mike Conley (10) drives through the lane against the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Utah Jazz 24-home game winning streak was snapped last night after a 125-121 loss to the Washington Wizards. The Jazz will look to have a quick bounce-back victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder later this evening.
Jazz vs Thunder Throwback:
The Jazz and Thunder are familiar foes, facing each other 192 times throughout history. Oklahoma City leads the all-time head-to-head between these two teams 112-80.
Earlier this season, the Jazz faced off against the Thunder and earned a one-point win for their second victory of the year. During that December 28 matchup, Bojan Bogdanovic led the way with 23-points while Mike Conley added 9-assists. Donovan Mitchell scored a bank shot with seven seconds left in the game to secure the win for the Jazz.
Key Players:
Donovan Mitchell and former Jazzman Tony Bradley will be the two players to keep your eye on during tonight's matchup.
Donovan Mitchell (45) goes for a steal against the Oklahoma City Thunder
It's been five games in a row now, but Mitchell continues to be my choice for the Jazz player to keep your eye on. His dominance has been unmatched, leading the Jazz to victory on multiple occasions and showing the world why he should be in the MVP discussion. Mitchell leads the Jazz in points (26.6) per game, and has averaged 40.5-points through the last four games. Mitchell has led the team in scoring through fourteen of the last sixteen matchups.
A depleted Oklahoma City squad leaves very few options for players to watch for during tonight's game. I've decided to pick former Jazzman and recent pickup for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tony Bradley. Bradley has averaged 11.2-points for the Thunder during the past five games, and looks to be coming on as a budding star in their system. He was traded to OKC from Philadelphia at the trade deadline for another former Jazzman, George Hill.
Fun Facts:
The Jazz will once again wear their 'City Uniforms' for their second game in a row against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Utah has a 10-3 record in the black and gradient with their last game in the jersey coming in last night's loss against the Wizards.
Derrick Favors has moved into tenth place all time on the Utah Jazz Franchise Scoring List. He passed Mehmet Okur during the third quarter of Thursday's matchup against the Trail Blazers and he currently trails Deron Williams who is in ninth place on this list.
Donovan Mitchell has been on a tear over the last few weeks. In his last four games alone, Mitchell has averaged 40.5-points, 4.75-rebounds, and 4.25-assists.
Mitchell is the third Jazz player in history with four consecutive 35-point games. The only other Jazzmen to accomplish that feat are Karl Malone (1998, 1990) and Adrian Dantley (1984). Utah is 20-1 when Mitchell shoots over 47% from the field this season.
The Jazz have made 900-three-pointers through 54-games this season, the fastest team in NBA history to ever do it. No other team has touched 850 in that same time frame.
Could the Jazz Western Conference lead be in better shape than it looks on paper? Check out our thoughts here.
The Jazz will continue to make mask-wearing mandatory at Vivint Smart Home Arena during home games. This announcement comes after the state of Utah removed its mask mandate on April 10, 2021. Many other businesses are following along the same path as the Jazz, and will still require masks in their places of employment.
The Utah Jazz 24 home-game winning streak was snapped on Monday with a 125-121 loss to the Washington Wizards. The Jazz are the first team in the NBA to eclipse 40-wins on the season and currently hold a 40-14 record. Utah is still in the first place spot in the NBA. The Jazz lead the Phoenix Suns by one and a half games and the Los Angeles Clippers by three and a half games in the Western Conference. They also lead the Philadelphia 76ers by three games and the Brooklyn Nets by three and a half games in the Eastern Conference.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are 20-33 so far this season and are 0-6 in their last six games. During this six game losing stretch, the Thunder have fallen to the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Philadelphia 76ers. OKC is currently in twenty-fifth place in the NBA, and thirteenth place in the Western Conference.
Jordan Clarkson (right ankle sprain) is 'doubtful' while Joe Ingles (left knee soreness), and Royce O'Neale (rest) are listed as 'out' for the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder this evening.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to Salt Lake City with an injury laden team. Gabriel Deck (NA), Josh Hall (concussion), Mike Muscala (ankle), Isaiah Roby (concussion), Aleksej Pokusevski (arm), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (foot), and Al Horford (team decision) are all listed as 'out' for tonight's game against the Jazz.
How to Consume:
The Utah Jazz will go toe-to-toe with the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at 7pm MST. Jazz fans can watch the game on AT&T SportsNet, and can also tune into the game on 97.5FM or 1280AM.
Joe Ingles (2) drives past Chris Paul (3) in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder
Welcome to Inside the Jazz - the new Utah Jazz fan site on Sports Illustrated. Our site is currently under construction and the commenting capability is turned off. We look forward to engaging with you in the future! While we work on some exciting updates to improve your experience, you can ask us questions through one of our social media channels:
Facebook - Utah Jazz Sports Illustrated
Twitter - @Utahjazz_SI
