Three Takeaways From the OKC Thunder's Coast to Victory Over the Utah Jazz

With each win, the Oklahoma City Thunder inch closer to the coveted No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

A relatively simple victory over the Utah Jazz has Oklahoma City within two games of the Minnesota Timberwolves, thanks to a dominant performance of its starting unit. The starters combined for 83 of its 134 points on the night.

The Thunder took advantage of a Jazz roster without its All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen and defensive anchor Walker Kessler, winning by 14 points after a dominant third quarter of offense.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

A Perfect Starting Lineup Performance in Every Way

Oklahoma City's starting lineup had likely its strongest combined performance of the entire season, with each player contributing in a valuable and efficient way to catapult their team to victory.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the unit with 30 points, four rebounds, seven assists and three steals on 12-of-17 shooting and a +/- of 35. He was masterful, adding another superstar-level performance to his MVP case.

Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams followed him up with 16 and 15 points respectively, each shooting 50% or above on the night. Both knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, and Holmgren showed out on the defensive end, collecting eight rebounds, a steal and two blocks.

Josh Giddey had one of his best outings in a while, recording a near triple-double of 12 points, ten rebounds and eight assists on 5-of-11 shooting. He also stepped up defensively, adding a steal and a block. It was a promising sign of life from the guard, who has struggled immensely as of late.

Rounding out the five is Cason Wallace, who leads into the next takeaway...

Cason Wallace is Like Glue

In the absence of Luguentz Dort at the small forward position, Wallace showed how seamlessly he can be inserted into the starting lineup.

The usual production of Dort was taken care of by the rookie, recording 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks on 4-of-8 shooting, including a 2-of-4 clip from behind the arc.

Wallace makes an impact on the game anywhere he can. He won't typically go off for 20+ points, but he takes high-quality looks and knocks them down efficiently.

The rookie also made the game a living nightmare for Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, holding him to just eight points on 3-of-13 shooting. Wallace attacked the veteran like a hound, leaving Clarkson unable to shake him off to get open looks.

Although Isaiah Joe can be viewed in the 6th man role for Oklahoma City, Wallace will be the first choice to replace a teammate in the starting lineup on most nights.

Hello, Ousmane Dieng

The leading scorer on the Thunder bench last night was Ousmane Dieng, by quite a considerable margin.

In year-two of his NBA career, Dieng has gotten little playing time in Mark Daigneault's rotation. The forward has spent a substantial amount of time in the G League, getting reps to help establish himself as a main roster talent.

With 26 minutes designated to him in the rotation last night, Dieng took advantage of the opportunity. He scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including an impressive 3-of-4 from three, while adding three rebounds and assists.

"I think it validates the time he spent in the G League," Daigneault said following the game. "When guys go there and do that, we want them to reward them with opportunity."

The confidence is growing for the 20-year-old, and its only a matter of time before he finds himself in the rotation on a nightly basis.

The win has Oklahoma City back on a two-game winning streak, but things are going to start getting difficult from here. A slate of Western Conference matchups is on the horizon, including the Denver Nuggets and the Thunder's next opponent: the Sacramento Kings (13-8).

The Thunder will visit the Kings on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 9:00 p.m. CT in the Golden 1 Center.

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