OKC Thunder finish back-to-back set in Utah – gameday preview

Keys to the game

The OKC Thunder needs to exploit the holes in the Jazz defense. This is a statement I never thought I would write considering there have been so few over the years. Shooting the ball well from the perimeter will be huge.

The paint remains a hard place to score against the Jazz as Gobert feasts on blocking shots. However, the Thunder just showed they could battle against a tremendous shot blocker and succeed, taking on Hassan Whiteside of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Gobert is actually a massive reason the Jazz are where they are. He does not allow many second-chance points and his 10.0 rebounds per game have the Jazz in fifth in the NBA for defensive rebounds per game (36.9) and third in defensive rebound percentage (79.9%). Get a good shot up or you are back on defense.

The Jazz are also fourth in the NBA in 3-point percentage hitting 38.5 percent of their shots per game. While Ingles may be down on his shot, Bogdanovic is hitting 45.2 percent of his outside shots. This brings us to our key matchup of the game.

Bogdanovic will probably be matched up against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander if Terrance Ferguson remains inactive. The second year guard will have plenty of help as the Thunder switches well on the perimeter, giving players different defensive looks all game.