By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each scored 25 points and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder improved to 23-1 with their 15th straight victory, routing the Utah Jazz, 131-101, on Sunday night, Dec. 7.
Holmgren added nine rebounds, and Williams had eight assists. Aaron Wiggins scored 19 points, while Branden Carlson had a season-high 13 points.
Oklahoma City shot 58% from the field and made 21 3-pointers. The Thunder scored 27 points off 17 Utah turnovers.
Kyle Filipkowski led the Jazz with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Walter Clayton Jr. and Taylor Hendricks added 20 points apiece. Clayton had nine assists.
Both teams played without their leading scorers. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was sidelined because of left elbow bursitis. Utah’s Lauri Markkanen sat out with an undisclosed illness.
Oklahoma City raced out to a 13-1 lead before the Jazz scored their first basket 3 1/2 minutes in. Utah made it 18-9 on a layup from Keyonte George and then got buried under an avalanche of baskets from Carlson.
The second-year center dunked the ball and made three 3-pointers over five possessions to ignite a 25-7 run that made it 43-16 going into the final minute of the first quarter. The Thunder ended up scoring 45 first-quarter points.
The Jazz have given up 86 points in the first quarters over their last two games.
Oklahoma City maintained a double-digit lead over the final three quarters, leading by 42 points in the second half.
Meanwhile in Chicago, Brandin Podziemski scored 21 points off the bench, Jimmy Butler added 19 in his return to the lineup and the injury-depleted Golden State Warriors beat the Bulls, 123-91, on Sunday night, Dec. 7, to extend the longest active losing streak in the NBA.
The Bulls have lost seven in a row, their most since an eight-game skid in the 2019-20 season.
Quinten Post also scored 19 points for the Warriors.
Golden State shot 22 of 47 from beyond the arc with seven players connecting from long range. Post and Podziemski each hit five 3s.
Josh Giddey scored 18 points and Matas Buzelis added 16 for the Bulls, who shot 36% from the field and were out-rebounded 51-38.
The Warriors held an opponent to under 100 points for a third straight game and limited Chicago to its fewest points in a game this season.
Butler started after missing two games (left knee), but Golden State remained without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford. Coach Steve Kerr said trio might return Friday against Minnesota.
Buddy Hield and Post each hit a 3-pointer in the first 90 seconds and Golden State led by as many as 16 before taking a 60-46 advantage into the intermission. The Warriors hit their first four 3-point attempts and were 12 for 25 in the first half.
Golden State stretched its lead to 24-points in the third quarter. Chicago used a 17-1 run to narrow its deficit to 87-79 early in the fourth before the Warriors pulled away late.
Chicago played without four regulars: Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro and Jalen Smith. Ayo Dosunmu started despite right thumb sprain and
Curry is expected to resume practice as soon as Wednesday as he comes back from a left quadriceps contusion and muscle strain.
