Just two nights ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder put an end to to their losing streak with a convincing 130-103 victory at home over the Utah Jazz. Aaron Wiggins led OKC with a career-high 27 points as 5 other Thunder players finished in double digits, and Luguentz Dort held Lauri Markannen to just 20 points 6-of-14 shooting. Overall, it was a solid win at a crucial time against a good team.
Now, the Thunder is set to host the Jazz for the second time in three days as the two teams meet for a Sunday evening matchup. Despite it being less than 48 hours later, this game will feature some lineup changes as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is set to make a return for OKC after missing a few games, and Jordan Clarkson will be back in the lineup for Utah. Also, Lauri Markannen is out for the Jazz, which is a major blow to Utah on both ends of the floor.
OKC and Utah are both very much in play for a playoff spot with just a little over a month left in the regular season. Add to it that this is a divisional matchup, and this game has a some sizable stakes for both teams. Regardless of who is or isn’t in the lineup, this will be almost certainly be an exciting matchup.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 6 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Utah Jazz Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Josh Giddey
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Jaylin Williams
Jazz
- PG: Jordan Clarkson
- SG: Ochai Agbaji
- SF: Talen Horton-Tucker
- PF: Kelly Olynyk
- C: Walker Kessler
Injury Report
Thunder
- Chet Holmgren is OUT (right foot surgery).
- Aleksej Pokusevski is OUT (left tibial plateau; non-displaced fracture).
- Kenrich Williams is OUT (scapholunate ligament rupture in left wrist).
Jazz
- Lauri Markannen is OUT (lower back soreness).
- Micah Potter is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Collin Sexton is OUT (strained left hamstring).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 34-20 (21-6 at home, 13-14 on the road) against the Jazz in the regular season and 2-4 (2-1 at home, 0-3 on the road) in the playoffs.
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Jazz 10 times, lost it twice, and tied once.
- The Thunder went 0-4 against the Jazz last season (0-2 at home, 0-2 on the road).
- The Thunder is 1-1 against the Jazz so far this season (1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road).