Player grades: OKC Thunder drop Jazz via aggressive, motivated effort

He didn’t have the best offensive night, nor was he consistently effective throughout the match. That said, he created the greatest issues for the Thunder to stop. Both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert who registered more production were relegated to the bench with five fouls apiece.

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And, Mitchell other than a hot segment of the second quarter never was able to sustain or build upon his momentum.

Favors on the other hand created mismatches and was the most complete starter tonight.

Of note, Joe Ingles who generally torches the Thunder seems to either be suffering from an injury or lack of confidence as he only attempted two shots from behind the arc even on a few wide open opportunities.

Final Thoughts:

The story lies in the simple numbers:

• The Thunder forced 20 turnovers
• OKC held the Jazz to 27.6 percent from deep
• Moreover the Thunder shot an uncharacteristically high (for them) 38.1 percent from deep
• Active hands- 12 steals
• Thunder outscored the Jazz on the fast break 20 to 9
• OKC got t the line 39 times! (hitting 28)

For the full box score check out the ESPN box score and for game highlights, click the video above. Stay tuned as the Topic: Thunder podcast crew will be by shortly to offer their analysis of the game. And, check back tomorrow for the key  takeaways from the match.

Next up the OKC Thunder travel to New Orleans to take on Anthony Davis and his Pelicans prior to heading to Denver for a re-match with the Nuggets and will  complete the week back home Saturday as they face the surprising Clippers.