The OKC Thunder narrowly beaten by the Utah Jazz – player grades

Best OKC Thunder reserve performance:

With the best reserve nod going to Hamidou Diallo, reserve center Mike Muscala gets an honorable mention for his solid second-half performance.

Diallo had a solid game with seven points, six rebounds, one assist, a steal, and a block each.  When he was on the court, Diallo was a livewire.

When he missed the shot close to the rim, he was the first back up to tip it in.

He was the primary defender when Dort was not on the court.

Best opponent performance:

After starting the game slowly due to the great defense of Darius Bazley, Bogdanovic came alive as the game went on. Where Mike Conley carried the team in the first half, Bogdanovic was hard to stop after the halftime break.

After his early-season struggles, the basketball fan in me was happy to see Bogdanovic come back to his best. I just wished he could have done it in the next game that they played. His shooting opened the rest of the court up for others to go to work.

In closing:

The OKC Thunder lost a close game by the narrowest of margins — a single point.

Every player who hit the court contributed and the rookies got enough time to learn a little more which is what the season is about.

No one expects the Thunder to be anywhere but the bottom of the standings this season.

That said, watching them compete and learn is going to be fun.