The Roundup—Jazz 98, Thunder 81

Fired up by Quin Snyder’s first technical foul as a head coach, the Jazz shook off a lethargic start to rally for a 98-81 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

With the Jazz off to a 9-for-31 start from the field—and 1-for-6 from the free-throw line—Snyder let his team (and the referees) have it with 2:35 left in the second quarter. Something he said must have woken his them up, because Utah finished the half on a 12-2 run to pull within two at 42-40.

The Jazz went on to outscore the Thunder 58-39 in the second half, taking their first lead at 53-52 (on a Gordon Hayward layup) and cruising to the victory.

Alec Burks (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Enes Kanter (16 points, 15 rebounds) had double-doubles to lead the way for the Jazz, while Trey Burke added 17 points and nine assists, and went 3-for-5 from three. 

Jeremy Lamb scored a team-high 19 points for the Thunder as Serge Ibaka (2-for-13) and Reggie Jackson (4-for-13) struggled.

Turnovers made a huge difference, and the swing in momentum coincided with Utah’s ability to take care of the ball. The Jazz had 11 turnovers as they struggled mightily in the first half, and only two turnovers as they pulled away in the second half.

On a night when Hayward and Derrick Favors didn’t have it, Burke and Burks came up huge for the Jazz. Alec hit a key 3-pointer late in the third quarter and grabbed a career-high 14 boards, while Trey consistently penetrated into the heart of OKC’s defense, causing problems for the Thunder and creating open looks for himself and his teammates.

“What Alec was doing defensively and on the glass was crucial,” Snyder said. “He had juice, and so did Trey, I thought, running the team. That’s the best job Trey’s done just keeping his composure.” 

The Jazz caught fire at the end of the third quarter. Burks drilled a three, then Joe Ingles stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for a layup. Ingles hit a corner three on Utah’s next possession, then Danté Exum spotted up and hit nothing but net on a transition three with 1.2 seconds left in the third quarter. Within three minutes, Utah turned a one-point deficit into a 13-point lead. 

Exum entered the game late in the third quarter and immediately made an impact, drilling three straight 3-pointers to help Utah run away for the victory. As a team, the Jazz went 10-for-24 from beyond the arc. 

With Oklahoma City trying to cut into Utah’s lead in the fourth quarter, Favors swatted away a layup attempt by Steven Adams. The Jazz finished with four blocks, including two by Burks.

The Jazz will hit the road for a game Friday night against the Golden State Warriors. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.