Thunder End Jazz Play-In Tournament Hopes
Apr 6, 2023, 9:17 PM | Updated: Apr 7, 2023, 9:59 am
SALT LAKE CITY – The Oklahoma City Thunder ended the Utah Jazz play-in tournament hopes with a 114-98 win in Salt Lake City.
Kelly Olynyk nearly recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists, but fell short of snapping the Jazz’s 15-year drought.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points to lead the Thunder who can clinch a spot in the Play-In Tournament with a win on Sunday.
First Quarter
The Thunder got off to a quick offensive start scoring 20 points in the first seven minutes of the game.
The Jazz struggled to shoot the ball, knocking down just 2-11 from the three-point line.
💪 Dok Dunks 💪#TakeNote #OKCvsUTA https://t.co/QQhedDDqVx
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 7, 2023
Simone Fontecchio and Kris Dunn had five first quarter points to lead the Jazz, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had nine points to lead the Thunder.
After one the Jazz trailed the Thunder 32-25.
Second Quarter
The Thunder opened the second quarter by extending their lead to 16, the biggest of the game for either team.
The Jazz continued to shoot the ball poorly, connecting on just 3-17 three-pointers over the first 24 minutes of the night while the Thunder knocked down 10-27.
Not Dunn yet 🏔️ 🏀#TakeNote #OKCvsUTA https://t.co/f7OwySOGws
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 7, 2023
The Jazz trimmed the Thunder’s lead to as few as three in the final minute of the half, fueled by 14 points from Kelly Olynyk.
At the break, the Jazz trailed the Thunder 55-52.
Third Quarter
Olynyk continued his strong play into the second half as he scratched triple-double territory scoring 15 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and handing out six assists.
The Thunder got 11 points from Gilgeous-Alexander in the third upping his total to 20 for the game to lead all scorers.
The @utahjazz continue to hang around in the third quarter trailing the @okcthunder 65-60 with 7:40 left to play. pic.twitter.com/V39DBHaf3x
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 7, 2023
The Thunder began to pull away late in the quarter extending their lead from one to eight after a 9-2 run once Olynyk left the floor.
After three, the Jazz trailed the Thunder 84-76.
Fourth Quarter
The Thunder’s lead climbed to 18 one minute into the fourth, 94-76 scoring the first 10 points of the quarter.
The Jazz responded with a 7-0 run of their own to trim the lead to 11 with nine minutes left to play.
.@JohnnyJuzang went on a run. 💥#TakeNote #OKCvsUTA https://t.co/dTqt2o3IQ9
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 7, 2023
The Thunder rebuilt its lead to 19 as the Jazz waived the white flag late in the fourth quarter.
The Jazz fell to the Thunder 114-98.
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 or on Instagram @BensHoops.
