Jazz remain winless in the NBA Cup after a 133-106 loss in Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Utah Jazz moved into the NBA Cup final on Tuesday and were already eliminated from the tournament after a 0-3 start in group play.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, on the other hand, needed a win to advance. And the game largely met these requirements.

Despite the home team’s greater urgency, Utah rolled into Oklahoma City with an early lead of 19-10 thanks to the balanced scoring output of its starting five.

After the surprising start, things quickly turned around and the Thunder closed the first quarter with a 22-6 run to secure a 32-25 lead that they would never relinquish.

Oklahoma City leads the NBA in steals per game with 11.6 and recorded 12 takeaways in the first half alone, capitalizing on a disastrous 19 turnovers by the Jazz, the most by any team in a half in the StateMuse database .

Thanks to a 15-5 run late in the second quarter, Utah cut its deficit to six (54-48), but the Thunder pulled away again and took a 62-50 halftime lead.

The Jazz outscored the Thunder 54-52% in the game and finished the game with six scorers in double figures, but the turnovers were too high to overcome. Collin Sexton, John Collins and Brice Sensabaugh led the way with five turnovers each, while Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier had four each.

Oklahoma City ran away from the second half with a 40-25 lead in the third quarter and secured a 133-106 victory to keep its NBA Cup hopes alive.

Jalen Williams, brother of Utah rookie Cody Williams, was the Thunder’s leading scorer of the night with 28 points. Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins each had three steals, giving the team a total of 18 players at the end of the night.

Utah has fallen to 4-17 this season and continues its seven-game road trip Friday in Portland.