Aaron Wiggins danced on Svi Mykhailiuk before raising up for a step-back jumper.
The bucket gave Wiggins his 35th point of the game. Moments later, he pestered Jazz guard Keyonte George around the perimeter, denying him the ball and eventually snagging his seventh rebound of the night.
That single sequence summed up Wiggins’ all-around brilliance in Utah.
Wiggins was everywhere on both ends of the floor on Friday while leading the OKC Thunder to a 145-111 rout of the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. He finished the night with a game-high 35 points, seven rebounds and two steals while recording his third career 30-point game.
“I think it’s just part of the system,” Wiggins said. “The way that we kind of carry ourselves going to every game with the game plan to stick to our system skills stick and the baseline things that we work on and everything else comes into play.”
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Isaiah Joe also poured in 32 points with a career-high 10 3-pointers, while Jaylin Williams poured in his third triple-double of the season with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Thunder (67-14) was in complete control from the opening tip. It raced out to a 12-2 lead and exploded for 43 first-quarter points, tying its season high for scoring in a quarter. The dominance never let up, as OKC led wire to wire and closed the night with a season-best 41 assists and 24 made 3s.
OKC was without a significant chunk of its rotation with starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort all missing the penultimate game of the regular season.
With the win, the Thunder have won 14 of its last 16 games ahead of the season-closing matchup with the Pelicans at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Here are three takeaways from the victory:
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Thunder red hot from 3-point range
Utah had no answers for OKC’s lights-out shooting on Friday night.
The Thunder connected on 24 3s — its second-highest total this season — shooting a blazing 45.3% from beyond the arc. The bulk of the damage came from Joe, Wiggins, Williams and Adam Flagler, who combined for 21 of those makes.
That perimeter threat stretched the Jazz defense thin, opening up cleaner looks at the rim and fueling OKC’s ball movement. The Thunder finished with a season-high 41 assists, tying a franchise record.
“We played really well I thought on both ends of the floor,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “After the first quarter, we held them under 30 every quarter. Then on the other end, obviously 41 assists is just a testament to the ball movement and the shot making. I just thought there was a sharpness all night on that end from every guy to win the game.”
Joe’s 10 3s tied a Thunder franchise record, matching a February 2019 Paul George performance against the Heat. Joe ended the night with 32 points on 10-of-14 shooting from deep, just two points shy of his career-high.
As the Thunder head into the postseason, it ranks fifth in the NBA in 3-point shooting at 37.7%.
“I’ve just got great teammates,” Joe said. “They have the ability to find me and I’ve got the ability to knock down shots. We just played together as a unit. Everybody gets to feel the basketball and the ball has energy and it showed.”
Jaylin Williams records third triple-double of the season in win
OKC’s starters have sat a grand total of three games this season.
Williams has now recorded a triple-double in each of those games.
In just 22 minutes on Friday, Williams emerged to record 15 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 5 for 7 from the field. The Thunder is undefeated in games in which Willaims has recorded a triple-double this season with an average margin of victory of 28.3.
Williams’ presence as a playmaker and rebounder helped unlock opportunities for other contributors. Kenrich Williams dropped 18 points, grabbed seven boards and added five assists and three steals while Flagler poured in a career-high 17 points.
“He obviously continues to be really good when he gets these opportunities,” Daigneault said of Jaylin Williams. “When he slots back into a more narrow role, he still plays that way. And so all those guys were in character at night, but he brought great toughness to the game, and he keeps the ball moving for us.”
Ajay Mitchell shines in return to lineup
After missing the last 46 games with a toe injury, Ajay Mitchell made his long-awaited return to the lineup.
In 18 minutes, Mitchell contributed nine points on 4-of-8 shooting, five assists and a steal. It was a promising step forward for the rookie, who had shown flashes in his first 34 games before the injury sidelined him in early January.
Daigneault praised Mitchell’s journey back to the court following the game.
“Ajay was sharp,” Daigneault said. “That’s a long rehab, and he worked really hard to get himself ready for this. This is about as accelerated as he could have been, and it’s a testament to the plan our staff had for him and his execution of that so I’m really happy for him.”
Mitchell last played on Jan. 3 against the Knicks. In 35 games this season, he’s averaged 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 50.6% from the field.
His postseason role remains unclear, but Daigneault expressed confidence in the rookie’s readiness.
“You never know what a guy’s gonna look like, but he’s in good shape,” Daigneault said. “He’s in pretty much rhythm, which I think is a testament to the work that he’s done to prepare himself for the game.”
Up next: Thunder at Pelicans
TIPOFF: 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Smoothie King Center (FanDuel Sports Network)
Halftime: Thunder 73, Jazz 58
The Thunder have handled business early in Utah. They matched a season-high for points scored in the first quarter this season with 46 after opening the game on a 12-2 run in the opening minutes. OKC’s dominant lead was led by Aaron Wiggins, who scored 22 first-half points, and Isaiah Joe, who scored 17. The tandem has combined to hit nine of the Thunder’s 14 first-half 3-pointers.
Ajay Mitchell will return from toe injury on minutes restriction
Thunder rookie guard Ajay Mitchell will return to the lineup on Friday night against the Jazz after missing the last 46 games with a toe injury.
He last suited up for OKC on Jan. 3 against the Knicks. Mitchell has averaged 6.4 points, two rebounds and 1.7 assists per game on 50.6% shooting in 34 games this season.
OKC coach Mark Daigneault said Mitchell will be on a minutes restriction.
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