Thunder improve to 23-1 with 15th straight victory, routing Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY — Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each scored 25 points and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder improved to 23-1 with their 15th straight victory, routing the Utah Jazz 131-101 on Sunday night.
Holmgren added nine rebounds, and Williams had eight assists. Aaron Wiggins scored 19 points, while Branden Carlson had a season-high 13 points.
Oklahoma City shot 58 per cent from the field and made 21 three-pointers. The Thunder scored 27 points off 17 Utah turnovers.
Kyle Filipkowski led the Jazz with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Walter Clayton Jr. and Taylor Hendricks added 20 points apiece. Clayton had nine assists.
Both teams played without their leading scorers. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was sidelined because of left elbow bursitis. Utah’s Lauri Markkanen sat out with an undisclosed illness.
Oklahoma City raced out to a 13-1 lead before the Jazz scored their first basket 3 1/2 minutes in. Utah made it 18-9 on a layup from Keyonte George and then got buried under an avalanche of baskets from Carlson.
The second-year centre dunked the ball and made three three-pointers over five possessions to ignite a 25-7 run that made it 43-16 going into the final minute of the first quarter. The Thunder ended up scoring 45 first-quarter points.
The Jazz have given up 86 points in the first quarters over their last two games.
Oklahoma City maintained a double-digit lead over the final three quarters, leading by 42 points in the second half.
Up next
Thunder: Host Phoenix on Wednesday night in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Jazz: At Memphis on Friday night.
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