Oklahoma City dropped their season opener to the Jazz, 100-95, Wednesday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a career night in his Thunder debut, scoring 26 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the field. He hit on 3 of his 7 three-point attempts.
After Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC had four players in double-digits. Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari scored 22 and 21, respectively, while Hamidou Diallo chipped in 12.
As a team, the Thunder shot. 38.6% from the field (10-27) and 37% from three.
The Jazz dominated the points in the paint, outscoring Oklahoma City 58-34. The Thunder got an uncharacteristically bad night from Steven Adams. Adams played 28 minutes Wednesday, scoring only three points. He was 1-for-8 from the floor and 1-for-6 from the line.
He did pull down 11 of the team’s 48 rebounds.
While the Thunder played solid perimeter defense, limiting Utah to 6-of-24 from beyond the arc, Erik Horne of The Athletic noted that OKC had plenty of opportunities to win Wednesday’s season opener, but often had key defensive breakdowns at crucial moments.
Oklahoma City could’ve used a stopper on defense as Donovan Mitchell torched OKC for a game-high 32. Billy Donovan used both Terrance Ferguson and Dennis Schroder on Mitchell, but neither were able to slow him down.
Ferguson also had a tough night on offense. He was in the starting lineup but managed only two points. His only shots came in the form of two free throws, both of which he hit. In 24 minutes he had two rebounds and an assist.
The Thunder return to Oklahoma City for their home opener Friday when they host the Washington Wizards. Tip-off is at Chesapeake Energy Arena at 7 p.m. CT.
