Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Keys to the Game

If the Utah Jazz can replicate their defensive performance against Russell Westbrook from the last time they played the Oklahoma City Thunder, they should very well be able to come away with their seventh straight win.

After defeating the Indiana Pacers in a comfortable wire-to-wire victory last night, the Utah Jazz are undoubtedly on a roll. They’ve won six straight contests and while a few of those victories in the middle were against mediocre opponents, they did start the streak off with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and last night’s win was over a playoff caliber Pacers team who had won seven of nine before visiting the Jazz.

This latest hot streak has been quite eventful for the Jazz as it has seen Gordon Hayward continue to play at an impressive All-Star level scoring 20 or more points in all but one of the six wins and Rudy Gobert continue his streak of double-figure rebound games, including a historic 27-point, 25-rebound night against Dallas.

And while George Hill had been in a bit of a slump, he busted out of it in a big way against his former team by notching a season-high 30 points. With the unfortunate recent injury to Rodney Hood, the Jazz’s latest run has allowed Joe Ingles and Alec Burks the opportunity to play extended minutes and they’ve both been phenomenal.

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Most recently, Burks posted 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting against Indiana while Ingles, despite having a rough shooting night, still made a huge impact by playing solid defense which led to three steals, while also posting six assists and four rebounds.

So while things have been going quite smoothly in Jazzland, all of that will be put on the line in a big way tomorrow night as the Jazz will play host to none other than the team looming just below them in the standings – the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Although Utah’s latest winning streak has helped them to build a nice 3.5-game cushion over the sixth place Thunder, you can bet that Russell Westbrook and Co. are bound and determined to push their way upwards.

Not to mention, Westbrook is coming off not only a big loss to his former teammate Kevin Durant and the Warriors, but also the news that he was not selected as an All-Star starter, despite averaging a triple-double on the season, a ruling that many have considered a major snub.

Therefore, he’s likely going to come out with an enormous chip on his shoulder and with a lot to prove, so the Jazz will have to be ready to contain what’s sure to be one angry beast of a player in Westbrook. Not to mention, OKC will benefit from four days of rest prior to the game against the Jazz, whereas Utah will be playing in their third game in four days.

However, the Thunder are just 4-6 in their last 10 games and the last time OKC visited Vivint Smart Home Arena earlier in the year, Utah was able to slow Westbrook and manhandle the Thunder in a convincing 20-point victory, despite George Hill’s absence due to injury.

With the likes of Dante Exum and Shelvin Mack (who no longer even find themselves in the rotation) defending Westbrook, the Jazz managed to hold him to just 7-of-25 shooting. Yes, he still logged 27 points but at the inefficient clip at which he did so, it was undoubtedly an off night for the Thunder star.

Therefore, if the Jazz can benefit from Hill being back in the mix and coming off his best game of the season and once again shut down Russell Westbrook, they should have a great chance of winning their seventh game in a row and their second this season against their most competitive division rival.