Thunder battled back from a massive deficit, showcasing mental toughness and MVP heroics to finally snap their losing streak against the Jazz.
Okay OKC Thunder fans, you can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Sort of.
The Thunder snapped a two game losing streak (that seemed more like a month long losing streak to most OKC faithful) by beating the Utah Jazz in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. That's the same Jazz squad that pivoted to tanking before the Christmas holiday by selectively resting star players Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen. Surely, the defending champs righted the ship and took out some pent up frustration on the team with the sixth worst record in the NBA with one of those classic Thunder blow out nights where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sits the final quarter, right?
Not quite.
While OKC did indeed get up by 20 points in the first half and it seemed the game was destined to be a run of the mill Thunder beat downs, the Jazz simply did not quit. That 20 point lead shrunk to only 5 by halftime. The margin remained the same by the end of the 3rd quarter. And in the first three minutes of the 4th quarter, Utah outscored OKC to the tune of 12-4 and took a 3 point lead. Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in earlier than usual and the team looked revitalized. But the Thunder kept missing from deep and the Jazz kept getting rebounds on both sides of the court. George hit a jumper to put Utah up by 8 points with 5 minutes to go and it looked like Oklahoma City was headed towards their third straight loss.
Guess again.
The Thunder Big 3 carried the Thunder down the stretch with big bucket after big bucket. Chet Holmgren had several lob finishes, putbacks and and-one's. Jalen Williams hit a tough midrange jumper to tie it up with 28.9 seconds on the clock. Gilgeous-Alexander splashed the game-tying midrange jumper at the final regulation buzzer to send the game into overtime. From there, the reigning MVP willed OKC to their much needed bounce back win. The final stat line from Gilgeous-Alexander has only been matched in NBA history by Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Luka Doncic: 46 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 0 turnovers. He scored 9 of those points in the overtime period. Despite surrendering a 20 point lead and getting down big late, OKC showed their mental toughness, the Big 3 each contributed in a big way, the MVP won the game and Loud City was rocking on a Wednesday night. Certainly, all is well and it's full steam ahead for the champs once again, correct?
Maybe.
But a win is a win. Even if it's a home game that goes to overtime against the Utah Jazz.