Shorthanded and on the second night of a tough back-to-back, the Thunder delivered the first punch with defense, then used its guard play to twist Utah into knots as the game wore on. With a third quarter burst and dominant bench effort, the Thunder ran away with its third-straight win.
There was just never any space to operate for Utah on Monday. Every time Donovan Mitchell twisted around a screen and tried to get off a shot, he saw multiple Thunder arms in his way. He saw multiple primary defender throughout the night, including all three Thunder point guards and rookie two-way man Lu Dort, who once again jumped off the court with his energy and effort.