The Western Conference is as deep as it's ever been, but the Utah Jazz look like they may be a surprise team. They boast a young but potent starting five featuring young floor general's Trey Burke and Dante Exum, in addition to Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter in the frontcourt.
The Jazz and Thunder were neck-and-neck through the first quarter, but the Jazz heated up in the second frame. Ian Clark hit a three-pointer coming off the bench, and the Jazz ended the quarter with a Favors slam and a smooth Kanter layup, assisted by Gordon Hayward. Utah scored 36 points in the second quarter and went into halftime with an eight-point lead.
The Jazz locked in on defense in the third, allowing just six field goals and 19 points. In that frame, Kanter, Burke and Hayward each hit from downtown, and the Jazz had a 16-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The three-point shooting was due to great ball movement, sometihng the team focused on in the off-season. Hayward, in addition to 14 points, also added assists, as he continues to prove himself as a versatile small forward.
The Thunder struggled with costless throws, as they shot just 50 percent from the charity stripe. They shot over 40 percent from three and had less than 15 turnovers, with Westbrook chipping in 14 points and 11 assists, while Ibaka added 14 points and three blocks of his own.
Kanter showed a wide array of offense in this game. He hit a nice low post hook shot, as well as a couple jumeprs from the foul line area and a baseline three pointer to put him at 27 points n the night. Burke, the second year player out of Michigan, sank four from three-point land as the Jazz offense thwarted the Thunder 105-91.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have finished with preseason play. The Utah Jazz have one more game, which is on October 24 against the Phoenix Suns.