Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30 in 3 quarters as Thunder top Jazz 134-120
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in three quarters, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 134-120 on Monday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander also had seven assists to lead an Oklahoma City offense that shot 52% from the field and logged 35 assists.
“I feel like every great scorer has to deal with finding the balance," he said. "And it’s something that I always try to critique myself on and something that I always try to get better at. And I can always get better at it. It’s something that I focus on for sure.”
Josh Giddey added 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in just 24 minutes for Oklahoma City. Teams had been backing off him because of his shooting struggles, but he made the Jazz pay by moving and making himself more available around the hoop.
“He’s having to evolve right now with the way he’s getting played off ball, and I thought tonight he did a nice job of that,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He found some cuts, he had really good ball movement plays, he’s made good passes in the middle of the floor. That’s something we’ve adjusted to.”
Ousmane Dieng had a season-high 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting off the bench. He has moved back and forth between the Thunder and the team’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue this season.
“I think it validates the time he spent in the G League,” Daigneault said. “He played four games in a very short period of time. That’s why we sent him. There was the volume of games he could get in just a week, and he’s a better player. He came back obviously very sharp from that experience.”
Chet Holmgren had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, who have won four of five to strengthen their hold on second place in the Western Conference standings.
Keyonte George, a rookie from Baylor, scored a season-best 30 points for the Jazz. Collin Sexton had 20 and Simone Fontecchio added a season-high 19. Jordan Clarkson, Utah's No. 2 scorer this season, had just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting.
Jazz scoring leader Lauri Markkanen sat out for the eighth straight game with a strained left hamstring. Utah fell to 3-5 without him.
Isaiah Joe hit a corner 3-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer to give the Thunder a 66-52 lead at halftime. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points and Dieng had 12 points in 10 minutes during the first half. Fontecchio scored 15 before the break for Utah.
Oklahoma City shot 65% from the field in the third quarter to push its lead out to 111-75. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting in the period.
The Thunder handled business in the first three quarters against a struggling Jazz team missing its top scorer.
“We don’t play the record,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s 29 (other) teams in this NBA that are really good and can beat anybody on any night. That’s how we approach it.”
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Thunder: Visit the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Kelly Olynyk vs. Chet Holmgren (Josh Giddey gains possession) | ||
| 11:46 | | Jalen Williams turnover (bad pass) (Ochai Agbaji steals) | ||
| 11:38 |  | Simone Fontecchio misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:34 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 11:18 | | +3 | Josh Giddey makes three point jump shot (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 0-3 |
| 11:00 | | Keyonte George misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:56 | | Jalen Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 10:52 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turnover (lost ball) (Ochai Agbaji steals) | ||
| 10:40 | | Chet Holmgren blocks Kelly Olynyk's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:37 | | Cason Wallace defensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | +3 | Jalen Williams makes three point running jump shot (Cason Wallace assists) | 0-6 |
| 10:18 | | Simone Fontecchio misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:16 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 10:09 | | Chet Holmgren turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Clarkson steals) | ||
| 10:01 | | Cason Wallace blocks Jordan Clarkson's two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 9:58 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 9:52 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point stepback bank jump shot (Josh Giddey assists) | 0-8 |
| 9:31 | | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:27 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 9:21 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point running reverse layup | ||
| 9:19 | | Jordan Clarkson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:05 | | +3 | Simone Fontecchio makes three point jump shot (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 3-8 |
| 8:47 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 8:44 | | Jordan Clarkson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:43 | | Jalen Williams personal foul (Jordan Clarkson draws the foul) | ||
| 8:32 | | +2 | Simone Fontecchio makes two point dunk (Jordan Clarkson assists) | 5-8 |
| 8:22 | | Ochai Agbaji shooting foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 8:22 | | +1 | Jalen Williams makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 5-9 |
| 8:22 | | +1 | Jalen Williams makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 5-10 |
| 8:07 | | +2 | Simone Fontecchio makes two point driving layup (Ochai Agbaji assists) | 7-10 |
| 7:59 | | Jalen Williams misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 7:55 | | Josh Giddey offensive rebound | ||
| 7:55 | | Josh Giddey misses two point tip layup | ||
| 7:53 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 7:51 | | Jordan Clarkson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:51 | | Thunder defensive rebound | ||
| 7:50 | | Simone Fontecchio personal foul (Loose ball) (Josh Giddey draws the foul) | ||
| 7:35 | | Josh Giddey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:32 | | Jazz defensive rebound | ||
| 7:24 | | Jordan Clarkson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:20 | | Chet Holmgren defensive rebound | ||
| 7:11 | | +2 | Chet Holmgren makes two point finger roll layup | 7-12 |
| 6:59 | | +2 | Ochai Agbaji makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 9-12 |
| 6:47 | | Josh Giddey turnover (traveling) | ||
| 6:47 | | Thunder 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:25 | | +2 | Keyonte George makes two point driving floating jump shot | 11-12 |
| 6:08 | | Chet Holmgren misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:04 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 5:58 | | Kelly Olynyk misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:55 | | Chet Holmgren defensive rebound | ||
| 5:44 | | Jazz technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 5:44 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 11-13 |
| 5:42 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point cutting dunk (Josh Giddey assists) | 11-15 |
| 5:18 | | +3 | Simone Fontecchio makes three point jump shot (Jordan Clarkson assists) | 14-15 |
| 5:07 | | +3 | Chet Holmgren makes three point jump shot (Josh Giddey assists) | 14-18 |
| 4:55 | | Ochai Agbaji misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:53 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 4:40 | | Chet Holmgren offensive foul (Keyonte George draws the foul) | ||
| 4:40 | | Chet Holmgren turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:19 | | Isaiah Joe shooting foul (Talen Horton-Tucker draws the foul) | ||
| 4:19 | | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-18 |
| 4:19 | | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-18 |
| 4:07 | | Omer Yurtseven blocks Josh Giddey's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:02 | | Omer Yurtseven defensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 18-18 |
| 3:42 | | +3 | Isaiah Joe makes three point jump shot (Jaylin Williams assists) | 18-21 |
| 3:42 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:28 | | Collin Sexton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:25 | | Ousmane Dieng defensive rebound | ||
| 3:25 | | Omer Yurtseven personal foul (Ousmane Dieng draws the foul) | ||
| 3:09 | | +2 | Ousmane Dieng makes two point cutting dunk (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 18-23 |
| 2:54 | | Omer Yurtseven turnover (bad pass) (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steals) | ||
| 2:49 | | Talen Horton-Tucker shooting foul (Ousmane Dieng draws the foul) | ||
| 2:49 | | +1 | Ousmane Dieng makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-24 |
| 2:49 | | +1 | Ousmane Dieng makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-25 |
| 2:37 | | Jordan Clarkson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:34 | | Thunder defensive rebound | ||
| 2:21 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point stepback jump shot | 18-27 |
| 2:10 | | Omer Yurtseven offensive foul (Isaiah Joe draws the foul) | ||
| 2:10 | | Omer Yurtseven turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 1:57 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 1:52 | | Omer Yurtseven defensive rebound | ||
| 1:48 | | Omer Yurtseven offensive foul (Isaiah Joe draws the foul) | ||
| 1:48 | | Omer Yurtseven turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 1:39 | | Kris Dunn shooting foul (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws the foul) | ||
| 1:39 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-28 |
| 1:39 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-29 |
| 1:20 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 20-29 |
| 1:07 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point stepback jump shot | 20-31 |
| 0:56 | | Taylor Hendricks misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:53 | | Vasilije Micic defensive rebound | ||
| 0:43 | | Vasilije Micic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:40 | | Talen Horton-Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 0:32 | | Collin Sexton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:28 | | Kris Dunn offensive rebound | ||
| 0:16 | | Collin Sexton misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 0:16 | | Collin Sexton offensive rebound | ||
| 0:15 | | Jazz turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 0:03 | | +3 | Ousmane Dieng makes three point jump shot (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 20-34 |
| 0:00 | | Kelly Olynyk misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:38 | | Taylor Hendricks misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:35 | | Collin Sexton offensive rebound | ||
| 11:33 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:30 | | Kris Dunn offensive rebound | ||
| 11:20 | | Collin Sexton misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 11:18 | | Kenrich Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 11:09 | | +3 | Aaron Wiggins makes three point jump shot (Jalen Williams assists) | 20-37 |
| 10:54 | | Kelly Olynyk turnover (lost ball) (Kenrich Williams steals) | ||
| 10:36 | | Aaron Wiggins misses two point reverse layup | ||
| 10:34 | | Aaron Wiggins offensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | Aaron Wiggins misses two point tip layup | ||
| 10:33 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 10:23 | | +3 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes three point jump shot (Kris Dunn assists) | 23-37 |
| 10:10 | | Kris Dunn personal foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 9:55 | | Vasilije Micic misses two point layup | ||
| 9:52 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 9:46 | | Collin Sexton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:42 | | Kenrich Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 9:36 | | +3 | Jalen Williams makes three point jump shot (Kenrich Williams assists) | 23-40 |
| 9:17 | | +2 | Kris Dunn makes two point pullup jump shot (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 25-40 |
| 8:57 | | Talen Horton-Tucker blocks Aaron Wiggins's two point layup | ||
| 8:57 | | Thunder offensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | +3 | Ousmane Dieng makes three point jump shot (Vasilije Micic assists) | 25-43 |
| 8:33 | | +2 | Kris Dunn makes two point driving floating jump shot (Taylor Hendricks assists) | 27-43 |
| 8:27 | | Kelly Olynyk personal foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 8:15 | | Jalen Williams misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:13 | | Kris Dunn defensive rebound | ||
| 8:07 | | +3 | Taylor Hendricks makes three point jump shot (Kris Dunn assists) | 30-43 |
| 8:06 | | Thunder 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:47 | | +2 | Ousmane Dieng makes two point cutting dunk (Jalen Williams assists) | 30-45 |
| 7:34 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 7:31 | | Ousmane Dieng defensive rebound | ||
| 7:19 | | +2 | Kenrich Williams makes two point reverse layup (Ousmane Dieng assists) | 30-47 |
| 7:06 | | Luka Samanic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:03 | | Jalen Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 6:59 | | Jalen Williams misses two point running finger roll layup | ||
| 6:57 | | Jalen Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 6:57 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point putback layup | 30-49 |
| 6:57 | | Luka Samanic shooting foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 6:57 | | +1 | Jalen Williams makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 30-50 |
| 6:45 | | +3 | Simone Fontecchio makes three point jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 33-50 |
| 6:26 | | Cason Wallace misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:23 | | Luka Samanic defensive rebound | ||
| 6:18 | | Kris Dunn misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:15 | | Cason Wallace defensive rebound | ||
| 6:07 | | +2 | Cason Wallace makes two point layup (Jalen Williams assists) | 33-52 |
| 5:50 | | +2 | Luka Samanic makes two point layup (Kris Dunn assists) | 35-52 |
| 5:30 | | Jalen Williams turnover (lost ball) (Taylor Hendricks steals) | ||
| 5:26 | | +2 | Keyonte George makes two point running layup | 37-52 |
| 5:23 | | Kenrich Williams technical foul | ||
| 5:23 | | +1 | Keyonte George makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 38-52 |
| 5:14 | | +2 | Cason Wallace makes two point cutting layup (Josh Giddey assists) | 38-54 |
| 5:01 | | +3 | Keyonte George makes three point jump shot (Ochai Agbaji assists) | 41-54 |
| 4:54 | | Isaiah Joe misses three point jump shot |