National Basketball Association
Utah 120, Oklahoma City 119
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 23, 2023
Where: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #50 Gediminas Petraitis, #40 Leon Wood
Attendance: 18206

Lauri Markkanen scored 43 points, including three clutch free throws in the final seconds, and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Utah Jazz rallied to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-119 in overtime Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

Days after playing in his first All-Star Game on the same court, Markkanen scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to help the Jazz overcome a nine-point deficit and force an extra session.

Utah improved to 30-31 overall but 4-0 in overtime. Oklahoma City, now 28-30, dropped to 2-4 in extra time.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was on Markkanen's All-Star team on Sunday, led the Thunder with 39 points and seven assists. He also pulled down eight rebounds.

Gilgeous-Alexander split free throws with 12.5 seconds remaining in overtime to put the Thunder ahead 119-117.

Markkanen then got three free throws after being fouled by Luguentz Dort while shooting a 3-point attempt with 4.6 seconds to go. Oklahoma City challenged it, but the call stood and Markkanen gave the Jazz a one-point lead with three straight makes from the charity stripe.

Gilgeous-Alexander then missed a game-winning attempt for Oklahoma City at the buzzer.

Jordan Clarkson added 24 points for the Jazz, and Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji each scored 12. Kris Dunn, playing his first game for the Jazz after signing a 10-day contract, finished with 11 off the bench.

Rookie Walker Kessler played a huge role in the win for Utah, totaling 18 rebounds, seven blocked shots and seven points.

Kessler was instrumental in extending the game. At the end of the fourth quarter, Kessler outhustled three Thunder players for a second offensive rebound and then powered up a game-tying layup with 4.6 seconds left.

Kessler then blocked Isaiah Joe's last-second reverse layup attempt to force overtime.

Oklahoma City led by eight after three quarters, but the Jazz went on a 17-9 run over the first eight minutes of the fourth to tie the game at 95.

The Thunder scored the first four points of OT and then took another four-point lead a few minutes later. Utah had a chance to take the lead after Clarkson drained a triple, but Kessler missed two free throws with 58.2 seconds left.

Josh Giddey followed with another bucket for a 118-115 Oklahoma City lead at the 35.7-second mark.

Clarkson responded with a pair of free throws a few seconds later, making it a one-point game with 32.4 left.

Giddey (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Dort (11 points, 11 boards) each had a double-double for Oklahoma City.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Oklahoma City   Utah
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 39 Scoring Lauri Markkanen 43
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 7 Assists Jordan Clarkson 6
Luguentz Dort 11 Rebounds Walker Kessler 18
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 15 Free Throws Made Lauri Markkanen 10
Josh Giddey 2 Steals Kris Dunn 2
Luguentz Dort 1 Blocks Walker Kessler 7
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Oklahoma City 119 40.2 8-37 21-27 23 54 3 8 11
Utah 120 42.0 13-48 23-27 26 58 10 8 22
Upcoming Games
  • Utah will play their next game at home against San Antonio. The Jazz have a W/L % of .448 after a win and .531 after a loss.
  • Oklahoma City will play their next game on the road against Phoenix. The Thunder have a W/L % of .448 after a win and .517 after a loss.