After the recent black streak of five defeats in a row, the Jazz must find rhythm and calm for the play-offs. So, the Thunder’s reception came at the right time for the Utah troop, who pushed in easily, notably succeeding in the biggest first quarter of the season, with 41 points (137-101).
Bojan Bogdanovic (27 points) and Rudy Gobert (20 points, 10 rebounds) led this success, while Jaylen Hoard (23 points) managed to win a second straight game for the Thunder in the 1920s.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
† The Jazz is a bit reassured† While their relationship is still at the center of debates in Utah, Donovan Mitchell was sitting on the couch in plain clothes when Rudy Gobert lay on the floor. The tricolor spindle took advantage of the Thunder’s arrival in the middle of a trial period to have fun against a depopulated racket. The French finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, all on 9/9 on shots, well aided by 27 points in 26 minutes from Bojan Bogdanovic. The Jazz claim their fifth consecutive home win, the third in their last four appearances.
† A freewheeling second half† So when Donovan Mitchell was at half-time, Mike Conley (right knee) and Royce O’Neale (thumb) were also kept in this match with little effort. But other than a return of the Thunder in the 2nd quarter, with a 13-2 closed by Jaylen Hoard, the Jazz made the job easy. A 16-2 thus ended the most fruitful first quarter of the season for Utah (scored 41) and thanks to a good end to the first half, the Jazz weren’t worried for the rest of the game. , with Jordan Clarkson (18 points, 10 assists) and Hassan Whiteside (15 points, 11 rebounds) handling the day-to-day running of the second sheet.
† The Thunder in full casting† On the Thunder side, the whole end of the season is freewheeling (once again). In addition to Jaylen Hoard putting in another good performance with 23 points, the OKC franchise is multiplying its attempts with last night’s holders of Greek rookie Geogios Kalaitzakis and Zavier Simpson. Melvin Frazier Jr. also had a lot of playing time, which was not necessarily put to good use with 8 points despite 15 attempts at shots.
TOPS/FLOPS
Bojan Bogdanovic† After a complicated game in the extra time win against Memphis, Bojan Bogdanovic regained calm against the Gruyere defense of the Thunder. With 27 points on 7/11 on shots, the Croatian sniper didn’t have to force his talent and recite his game to perfection, as his team’s number 1 option.
Rudy Gobert† With no real opposition under the panels, Rudy Gobert was able to blow up his offensive stats last night. Well served for under-the-circle finishes, he finished 9/9 on shots for a very, very clean double-double on 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Jaylen Hoard† Opposite Rudy Gobert, another Frenchman stood out. While his compatriot Olivier Sarr is just out, Jaylen Hoard still performed well, with 23 points to 8/17 on shots, including 5/8 from 3-pointers, plus 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Jared Butler† The Baylor rookie was entitled to 30 minutes of play from the bench and took advantage of it to provide 10 assists (including 8 in the 2nd half), but he also shredded shots with a small 3/13 including 1/9 behind the arc.
Zavier Simpson† In a similar vein, Zavier Simpson was launched into the Thunder’s Major Five for his second NBA appearance, and he was also quite good at creating for his teammates, with 11 assists. But it was ultimately unconvincing when shooting with a 2/10…
THE FOLLOWING
Oklahoma City (24-56) : trip to Los Angeles against the Lakers, on Friday night
Utah (48-32) : Reception of the Suns for a final test before the play-offs, on Friday night
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