Wiggins scores 35, Thunder roll over Jazz for 31st road victory as SGA sits

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Aaron Wiggins scored 35 points and Isaiah Joe added 32 on a career-high 10 3-pointers to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 145-111 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

Jaylin Williams added 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists to help power the Thunder to their 31st road victory this season — second only to Boston.

Svi Mykhailiuk led Utah with a career-high 27 points. Brice Sensabaugh added 25 points and six assists. The Jazz never led on the way to their 20th loss in 22 games.

Utah cut a 12-point deficit to 48-44 early in the second quarter after Keyonte George capped a 10-2 run with a pair of free throws. Oklahoma City rebuilt a double-digit lead before halftime behind hot outside shooting. The Thunder made 13 3-pointers and shot 45% from the perimeter in the first half.

Joe punctuated the barrage with a long-distance buzzer beater — his fifth 3-pointer of the half — to give Oklahoma City a 73-58 halftime lead. The Thunder led by 26 in the third quarter, going up 90-64 on another 3-pointer by Joe.

The Thunder played without top scorer and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who sat out his second straight game with a left shin contusion.

Takeaways

Thunder: Joe went 10 of 14 from 3-point range after shooting 5 of 17 from long distance over his previous four games.

Jazz: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 22.5 points and 15.5 rebounds over his last two games after finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds against Oklahoma City.

Key moment

After George cut the deficit to 48-44 in the second quarter, Wiggins and Kenrich Williams countered with back-to-back baskets to keep the Jazz from drawing any closer.

Key stat

Oklahoma City scored a season-high 46 points in the first quarter.

Up next

Both teams are back in action on Sunday. Oklahoma City visits New Orleans and Utah wraps up its season at Minnesota.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba