Thunder ball handlers try a Steve Nash method against Rudy Gobert yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points, and the Utah Jazz beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 109-93 on Friday night to inch closer to claiming the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
May 15, 2021
The Utah Jazz hold the best record in the NBA and had no trouble taking care of the struggling Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. Losers of two-straight coming into the night, the Jazz were able to get back on track and pull off a 109-93 victory over the Thunder.
After dominating each of the first three quarters, OKC held Utah to just 17 points in the fourth quarter, turning a 26-point deficit into a game that looked a bit closer.
The Thunder continue to play a full 48 minutes, regardless of the situation. This is something head coach Mark Daigneault has preached all season, saying that you can only worry about things you can control, one of which is your effort.
Jazz continue quest for top seed in Oklahoma City
Field Level Media
14 May 2021, 06:19 GMT+10
The race for the top seed in the Western Conference is coming down to the wire.
The Utah Jazz enter Friday s penultimate game of their regular season against the host Oklahoma City Thunder in the top spot, but Phoenix with the tiebreaker in hand remains within striking distance.
But thebigger concern for Utah in this closing stretch is getting healthy heading into the playoffs, whether the Jazz finish as the No. 1 or No. 2 seed.
Playing without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell since April 16 and fellow All-Star guard Mike Conley since April 26, the Jazz have been able to do more than stay afloat, going 6-3 since Conley s injury.
Tip-Off Time: 7 p.m. CT
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma
Thunder Status
The Thunder returned home from its last road trip of the season and enjoyed two days off from games before returning to action inside of Chesapeake Energy Arena for its final two games of the year. In the valuable and rare practice time leading up to its penultimate matchup, the Thunder utilized the time to not only refresh after the four-game stint on the West Coast, but also lean into its development and skill work on the court.
“We gave a goal and we have a vision so we stick to our vision and kept moving forward,” said Thunder wing Svi Mykhailiuk. “There’s still two games to get better and used the practice to get better.”