Alex Barutha, RotoWire
LAS VEGAS — The Utah Jazz defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 78-66, in the Las Vegas Summer League at Cox Pavilion on Saturday.
It’s rare to see a team win all four individual quarters in any game, especially with each one being decided by five points or fewer. That’s just what Utah did here though, leading by at least five points for the entirety of the second half. Both offenses struggled mightily, with the Jazz shooting 38 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range while the Thunder shot 35 percent from the field and 19 percent from long range. In addition, the two teams combined for 40 turnovers and neither team shot higher than 65 percent from the free-throw line. Ball movement was the difference for the Jazz, out-assisting the Thunder, 20-11.
The Thunder (0-1) were led by Hamidou Diallo, as he tallied 20 points and five rebounds on 8-of-22 from the field. Kevin Hervey amassed 11 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Donte Grantham led the bench with seven points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
The Jazz (1-0) were led by Tony Bradley, as he accrued 19 points, 14 rebounds and three assists to build off of his strong Salt Lake Summer League. Justin Wright-Foreman finished with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals despite shooting 3-of-14 from the field. Isaiah Cousins led the bench with 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Utah will have to play again on Sunday, as they face the Miami Heat. As for Oklahoma City, they return to action on Monday versus the Philadelphia 76ers.
