Jazz Can't Survive Every Player Earning a Minus Game Rating Again

On Friday night, the Utah Jazz battled the Oklahoma City Thunder and lost 130-103 in an unexpected beatdown on the road. The final result of this contest was not anticipated as the Jazz are currently playoff-relevant while the Thunder are on the outside looking in with the postseason picture.

Jazz Nation has to be frustrated with the nature of this loss because, on paper, the team seemed more equipped to win the game. The Jazz boasted All-Star Lauri Markkanen on the court, while OKC was missing its best player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The audience may recall several weeks ago when the Jazz defeated the Thunder with the services of Gilgeous-Alexander in the SLC. However, last night's game presented a far different challenge.

The Jazz were led in scoring by Markkanen's 20 points and 10 rebounds, but he committed a whopping seven turnovers and registered a -26 game rating. A total of five Jazzmen scored double-digits, but the entire team registered a - (minus) game rating. When every member of your basketball team finishes the night in the minus category, the outcome will most likely not be positive.

Hopefully, the Jazz can make some adjustments and compete at a much higher level when they face the Thunder on Sunday evening. The Thunder placed six players in double-digit scoring, led by Aaron Wiggins, who came off the bench to chip in 27 points.

The Thunder also received strong performances from lead guard Josh Giddey's 18 points and 13 assists, along with forward Jalen Williams' 20 points. Every member of the Thunder who received game-time minutes registered + game ratings.

I don't have recent memory of a contest where every player from a team posted -ratings and every member of the opponent posted + ratings prior to Friday night's game. It's a bit of a head-scratcher for sure.

We will stay dialed in and evaluate Sunday night's next meeting between the Jazz and Thunder.

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream podcasts!