The Thunder couldn’t get it done against the streaking Utah Jazz, losing 103-116. Although it resulted in a loss, the Thunder fought until the very end. Many Thunder players had good stat-lines to be accounted for as well. This is the Thunder vs. Jazz recap.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Performance
Gilgeous-Alexander has been putting on a clinic lately. Today was no different as he went for a nice 33 points, seven boards, eight dimes, four swipes and a block on 11/23 from the field, 0/4 from three and 11/12 from the line. He didn’t even turn the ball over which made this performance much more masterful than it already was. Despite his performance, the team couldn’t grind out a W in this game because the Jazz are just a really good team right now. It wasn’t on Gilgeous-Alexander who played his heart out. Expect him to continue putting up nasty lines such as this one for the rest of the season.
Olivier Sarr Performance
Sarr is getting more burn and today, he had a nice game. He showed off the shot-blocking ability that he showed fans earlier in the season, blocking two. His final line consisted of 11 points, nine boards, one steal, and two blocks on 4/9 from the field, 1/4 from three and 2/2 from the line. Sarr looks like another fun project in terms of a developing big. Moses Brown was their last undrafted big to go on and succeed in their system, so hopefully, Sarr can be that next fun silly-season hero. The only difference is that Sarr can shoot the ball apparently. Hopefully, he can continue getting more run until the end of the season.
Tre Mann Performance
What a night to forget for the rookie. He finished with a line of six points, four rebounds, three assists and no turnovers on 2/13 from the field, 0/7 from three and 2/2 from the line. He couldn’t throw it into the ocean this time around, but he’s been extremely good lately, so this was just an off night for the rookie. A positive to take away from this game is that he finished with no turnovers when he finished with a total of eight miscues last game against Minnesota. Just expect him to get back on track and finish the season strong.
Darius Bazley Performance
Bazley stuffed the stat sheet this time, going for a nice 11 points, five boards, two assists, one steal and three blocks on 5/11 from the field and 1/7 from three. The three-point shooting came back to haunt him, but at least he was able to shoot the ball efficiently. Bazley has shown major strides as a defender this year, averaging career-highs in steals and blocks (0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks). Still, the shooting needs to improve badly (40% from the field and just below 70% from the line). The young forward is going to be a part of the plans for OKC’s future, however, so he’s going to stick with their rotation going forward. He plays good minutes for them right now, so keep expecting him to churn out some good stat-lines going forward. Maybe he’ll figure out the shooting issue along the way.