Jazz Veterans Fall Short Against Thunder
Jan 22, 2025, 9:24 PM | Updated: Jan 23, 2025, 1:10 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder for 45 minutes, but couldn’t close the game, falling on the road 123-114.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points for the Thunder while John Collins’s 22 points led the Jazz.
Game Blog: Jazz Fall Short Against Thunder
Hardy Praises Jazz Effort After Thunder Loss
Though the Jazz didn’t escape Oklahoma City with a victory, coach Will Hardy was excited about his team’s performance.
“I’m really optimistic about our group going forward,” Hardy said. “I think that we’re showing a lot of strides of being able to learn throughout the season.”
The Jazz pushed the Thunder from the opening tip, jumping out to a six-point first-quarter lead, and trailing by only two after 12 minutes.
talk to ’em @ejay_hoops2 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/eKKWmuHjeq
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 23, 2025
Each time the Thunder threatened to pull away, the Jazz battled back to tie the game or retake the lead, and never trailed by more than 11 against the league’s best team.
After falling behind by nine in the fourth quarter, the Jazz fought back, tying the game at 106 on an Elijah Harkless three-pointer, but ultimately couldn’t stop Gilgeous-Alexander in the game’s final moments.
“When you play a team like Oklahoma City in those back-and-forth type games, it’s so good for the group, because I think you feel the mental focus it takes to play in a high-level game like that,” Hardy added.
Jazz Veterans Play Well In Return To Floor
John Collins has missed 12 of the Jazz’s last 13 games with a hip injury, but showed no signs of rust against the Thunder.
The veteran forward scored the first five points of the game for the Jazz, and finished with a team-high 22 points on 9-13 shooting. Collins added 12 rebounds in just 27 minutes.
picking up right where he left off 🫡
show some love for John on another double-double in his first game back! 👏#PlayerHighlights presented by @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/cgsVAGUOrK
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 23, 2025
Lauri Markkanen also returned after missing the last four games due to back spasms recording 17 points and six rebounds.
Though Markkanen’s stat line is below his season averages, the All-Star forward played one of his more physical games of the season, bumping and bruising with the Thunder’s league-leading defense.
The veteran’s return was key to the Jazz keeping Wednesday’s game close, as the young players largely struggled in Oklahoma City.
Not even four Thunder defenders could stop Lauri Markkanen as he went coast-to-coast, throwing down a rim-rocking dunk.@utahjazz https://t.co/T28lgZXs1Z
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 23, 2025
Rookie Isaiah Collier had his worst game in several weeks shooting 3-10 from the floor, and committing six turnovers to two assists.
Collier did knock down 2-4 from the three-point line, a promising trend in his shooting percentages, though the Jazz were outscored by 20 points in his 23 minutes on the floor.
Kyle Filipowski recorded just three rebounds off the bench but failed to add anything else to the stat line outside of a personal foul in 13 minutes on the court.
The matchup was a good reminder that while several young Jazz players have performed well against some of the NBA’s lesser teams, patience is still required against the league’s elite.
Utah Jazz Next Broadcast
The Jazz will travel to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday at 8 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
