Thunder Fall to Jazz, Snap Two-Game Winning Streak
.For the past two seasons, the end of the season has meant checking the lottery standings for Thunder fans. While this year is no different, Oklahoma City has stumbled into a two game winning streak heading into the last game of the season.
Wednesday, the Thunder took on a playoff team in the West, traveling to Utah to face the Jazz.
Utah rolled to a dominant 137-101 victory, snapping OKC’s two-game winning streak in the process. Jaylen Hoard had another huge outing, pouring in 23 points and five triples.
Forwards Isaiah Roby and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl also added to the offense for Oklahoma City, netting 18 points each.
For Utah, Bojan Bogdanovic’s big third quarter highlighted his 27 points. Rudy Gobert dominated in the paint, adding 20 points and 10 rebounds on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting.
In the opening frame, the Thunder really struggled defensively giving up 41 points. While the Jazz were without Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley, OKC’s lack of depth inside allowed Rudy Gobert to get going early.
The Thunder had a strong second quarter, cutting it to two points on a Hoard layup with 4:46 left in the frame. The Jazz responded with a run led by Bogdanovic and Gobert to take a 71-58 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Bogdanovic picked up where he left off, piling his point total up to 27 for the evening. OKC couldn’t keep up with the Jazz offensively, falling behind 106-85 heading into the final frame.
The Jazz completed a suffocating fourth quarter, holding the Thunder to just 16 points. The defense allowed Utah to cruise to an easy victory.
From here, OKC travels to Los Angeles to complete a two-game road trip against the Lakers and the Clippers to close the season.
.
Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
