Chet Holmgren's Electric Night Leads Way to Victory over Jazz
The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to manage their 48th win of the season on Wednesday night, matching their season win total from 2018-19, and getting one step closer to their first 50-win season in eight seasons.
At home versus the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City ran away in the final quarter to come out with a 119-107 win with a huge performance from its invaluable rookie, maintaining its first-seed position in the West.
Chet Holmgren's energy-filled night was the biggest factor in the team's win, generating a team-high 35 points with five stocks on numerous heavy-hammered jams around the rim. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed suit, notching a 31-point, seven-assist, four-steal performance.
Collin Sexton anchored the Jazz with his 25 points and seven assists.
The Thunder took the edge out of the gate. Several transition scores, efficient playmaking from Josh Giddey and an early scoring start from Holmgren separated them five minutes into the first.
Those connections led to a quick 11-point advantage for Oklahoma City, but some solid 3-point shooting and a late-quarter surge from Sexton saw the Jazz bring it back to within six to end the frame.
Sexton's efforts went into the second along with 3-point production from Johnny Juzang, as those two had to help mount an eight-point deficit four minutes into the quarter and combat a scoring flurry from Williams.
33 combined points from Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Jalen Williams paired with 20 fast break points wasn't enough to maintain its lead by the end of the half though, as Utah held a 54-53 lead into the break.
The third quarter saw some momentum-shifting plays for the Thunder. An absolute monstrous one-hand slam from Holmgren led to a Williams and-one to electrify the Paycom Center. From there, a bruised up Gilgeous-Alexander paced Oklahoma City with their lead and started really building onto his point total.
Utah continued to hang tough though, sitting within two before the final frame.
Holmgren's big night stayed true into the fourth, throwing down another massive dunk off an alley-top and getting busy in a variety of ways on both ends. This led to an extended 10-point lead under halfway into the quarter.
And staying with the theme, Holmgren found another huge slam filling in the lane on the break before heading into the huddle with a big grin on his face as Oklahoma City went up by 16.
A stable control over the final 12 minutes was too much for the Jazz to overcome, as the Thunder continued to show their ability to close out games in a strong fashion.
Next, Oklahoma City heads to Toronto to take on the Raptors at 6 p.m. CT on Friday.
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