Three Takeaways From the OKC Thunder's Loss to Utah
On the heels of a three-game win streak capped off by a double overtime comeback victory over the Toronto Raptors, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
OKC fought hard on the road, but a pair of late baskets from Jazz star Lauri Markkanen ended up sinking the Thunder as they fell 124-117 in Salt Lake City.
Mark Daigneault’s team now sits at 35-16 this season and will have a three-day break before taking the court again on Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s loss to the Jazz.
Rebounding struggles continue for Oklahoma City
Utah, who currently sits at 26-26, grabbed 16 more rebounds than the Thunder on Tuesday night, including six more offensive rebounds and 10 more defensive rebounds than OKC.
While Daigneault’s team has been solid on both offense and defense this season, the biggest area of concern has been rebounding, which proved to be true again in their matchup against the Jazz.
Oklahoma City’s had two players tally five of more rebounds, with Chet Holmgren grabbing eight and Jalen Williams racking up five rebounds of his own.
The Jazz, on the other hand, had three players with more the nine rebounds, including a game-high 11 boards from Markkanen.
With the trade deadline looming, many observers have mentioned that the Thunder could use some of their assets to add a solid rebounder heading into the back half of the season.
Not having Isaiah Joe off the bench significantly limits OKC's second unit
One of the Thunder's best 3-point shooters, Isaiah Joe, hasn't played since Jan. 29, which hindered Oklahoma City against the Jazz.
While OKC still had a good shooting night, hitting 51.5% of their shots from beyond the arc, the team's bench unit didn't provide much in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night.
Aside from nine points from Aaron Wiggins and eight points from Ousmane Dieng, only two other players scored off the bench for the Thunder, each contributing three points apiece.
With Joe on the court, the sharpshooter not only provides another solid scoring option off the bench, but another decent defender and playmaker.
In addition to his tangible skills, Joe's shooting prowess helps open up Oklahoma City's offense and gives the team good floor spacing.
This season, Joe is averaging 8.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 46.2% from the field and 42.4% from beyond the arc.
Having Joe in the lineup for OKC could have potentially changed the outcome of the Thunder's most recent matchup against Utah.
After rough outing, Ousmane Dieng provides a spark
Oklahoma City's matchup against Toronto was tough for Dieng, as the 20-year-old struggled with the game's physicality and looked unconfident. In the Thunder's previous contest, went 1-for-3 for two points, one rebound and one turnover.
Still, in a tight game against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, Daigneault turned to the second-year player and was rewarded for trusting Dieng.
The 6-foot-10 wing went 3-of-3 from the floor and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, tallying eight points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Additionally, Dieng committed zero turnovers in his 10 and a half minutes on the floor.
If Dieng is able to provide a spark like this off the bench more consistently for the Thunder, it would be a huge addition to their bench unit and would likely help earn the former NBL standout more time in the rotation.
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