The OKC Thunder travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz in the final game of their season series. The Thunder, having won two of their three games against the Jazz this season, look to get another win against them tonight at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
The Thunder are heading into this game with a three-game win streak.
They opened their three-game home stand with a 95-94 win against the Denver Nuggets. It was a game in which Westbrook scored 38 points on 57% shooting and drained a potential game-winning free throw right before Nuggets guard Gary Harris missed a game-winning shot at the buzzer.
The second game of said home stand was against the Utah Jazz. It wasn’t as equally matched as the Nuggets game, though. The Thunder limited the Jazz to 9 points in the first quarter and were up by 16 at halftime. The margin only grew bigger as the game went on and the Thunder found themselves leading by as much as 33 in the third quarter. The game ended with a resounding 107-79 win for the good guys.
The final game of their home stand was, just like the first game, a relatively close game. The Thunder found themselves with a sixteen-point lead midway through the second quarter. The Thunder ended up losing their lead early in the fourth quarter but managed to get back in front not too long after. Both teams were tied at 117 points apiece with 11 seconds to go after Ilyasova scored both of his free-throws. The Thunder used a timeout to advance the ball. Russell Westbrook received the inbound pass. With the clock winding down, he did the one thing he does best.
WESTBROOK GAME WINNER. #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/bCU7cwKH2d
— Boomtown Hoops (@BoomtownHoops) December 23, 2017
The Thunder won the game, of course. They enter tonight’s game as winners of nine of their last twelve games and are now 5th in the Western Conference.
A quick look at the Jazz
The Utah Jazz have been trending in the opposite direction to the Thunder lately. They’re losers of seven of their last nine games and are 15-18 on the season. Injuries haven’t helped their cause, either.
Rudy Gobert has missed a lot of games this season and is still nowhere near coming back as he is battling a PCL injury as well as a bone bruise.
Sources: Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert has been diagnosed with a sprained PCL in his left knee and bone bruise in tibia, expected to be sidelined for one month.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 16, 2017
Dante Exum has yet to see the court this season due to an AC joint injury. Donovan Mitchell has missed the past few games with a toe injury.
Joe Johnson, Ricky Rubio, Rodney Hood, Derrick Favors, and Raul Neto have also suffered because of injuries.
Don’t let any of that fool you, though. They’re still a pretty solid team,. The San Antonio Spurs learned that on Thursday, losing 100-89 to the Jazz.
It’ll be tough for the Thunder to get a win tonight, considering that the Jazz are a tough team to beat at home. They are 12-5 and have a defensive rating of 97.4 when playing at home (best in the NBA). The Thunder can beat any team on any given night, though.