OKLAHOMA CITY –
The Oklahoma City Thunder moved one step closer to securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a dominant 146-111 win over the Utah Jazz Sunday night.
Chet Holmgren led the way with 21 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20, and the Thunder set a season-high in scoring while improving to 62 wins on the season.
Gilgeous-Alexander extended his NBA-record streak of games with at least 20 points to 138 before sitting out the fourth quarter with Oklahoma City comfortably ahead.
Cason Wallace scored 16 points and Jalen Williams added 15 points and seven assists as the Thunder continued their late-season surge, winning their fifth straight game and 17 of their last 18.
Oklahoma City shot 58.1% from the field and knocked down 24-of-45 three-pointers in another offensive explosion, coming just three nights after a 43-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Thunder also continued their dominance at home, winning their 12th straight at Paycom Center. Oklahoma City hasn’t lost at home since Feb. 12 against Milwaukee.
Holmgren delivered one of the night’s biggest highlights in the second quarter, throwing down a powerful baseline dunk over Utah’s Kyle Filipowski to give the Thunder a 59-39 lead.
Later, after Cason Wallace missed a fast-break dunk late in the first half, Jalen Williams followed the play and slammed home a two-handed putback to extend the lead to 72-52.
Williams also had a unique matchup early, facing younger brother Cody Williams, who started for Utah and finished with eight points and five rebounds.
Utah was led by Brice Sensabaugh, who scored 34 points, while Filipowski added 20 points and 14 rebounds. The Jazz dropped their ninth straight loss.
Despite the lopsided score, Thunder players emphasized staying focused.
“I thought we did a good job at just playing unselfish,” Jalen Williams said. “We were a little loose defensively… but a lot of it was just being unselfish.”
Head coach Mark Daigneault echoed that sentiment.
“It wasn’t our most precise game, but I thought the spirit was really good,” Daigneault said. “We played no-agenda basketball on most possessions… moving the ball, making the right plays.”
With the win, Oklahoma City increased its lead over San Antonio to three games with four remaining. The Thunder now need just two more wins to clinch the top seed regardless of what the Spurs do.
Oklahoma City continues its road trip Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers before facing the Clippers the following night, two games that could lock up home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.