Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder: game previews are for competitions, which this will not be

Do you want to see a hilarious statistic? 6-6. In the past 12 games, this is the win-loss record of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the number one seed in the Western Conference and owners of the best record in the entire National Basketball Association. Having most recently lost to the Charlotte Hornets 124-90, the top-seeded Thunder and NBA Draft Lottery-bound Hornets share that 6-6 stretch.

So, what’s the big deal? Stuff like this happens all the time in sports, and especially so during an 82-game season, right? Well, yes, basketball teams go through cold spells all the time, but something about this tumble feels particularly curious when considering this season’s edition of OKC.

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Prior to this 6-6 stretch, Oklahoma City held a 24-1 record, having lost just one game in its first 25 contests. This is a feat shared by only one team in the history of the NBA: the 73-win Golden State Warriors.

Oklahoma City had the basketball community scrambling for answers. Just like the Warriors in 2015-16, the NBA had no response to OKC’s dominance, only this team was built to last another decade. Stuffed with young talent in MVP-winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, a ‘big three’ of that caliber has already proven capable of lifting the NBA Finals trophy in June, and all three of those players are still below the age of 27.

But suddenly — inexplicably — the Thunder began to flop. Losses to Charlotte, Phoenix, and Minnesota were one thing, but a pattern of failure against the San Antonio Spurs was truly eyebrow-raising. Three losses force-fed by Chef Wembanyama and friends painted a pattern of inadequacy and exposed gaps in what once seemed to be an impregnable defense around Castle OKC.

Enter the Utah Jazz on a four-game losing skid, with a no-refund ticket package into the Paycom Center. I’m no doctor, but this, to me, seems like an excellent remedy for losing.

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Utah, with a 12-23 record and the sixth-best odds on the NBA Lottery ladder, enters Oklahoma City with very little desire to show up the reigning champions. Finally back under the top-eight protection umbrella of their first-round pick, the Jazz are actively fighting to retain their first-round selection from the already bloated war chest of OKC’s draft capital.

The Jazz are winners in just four of their last 14 games, plummeting back to Earth in spite of the extra-terrestrial performance of breakout guard Keyonte George this season. George and Markkanen are averaging 24.3 and 27.7 points per game to this point in the season, respectively, which are both top 20 in the association, but Utah’s defense has been… how do I put this delicately? Utah’s defense has been an affront to the very sanctity of Dr. Naismith’s vision.

There are many reasons why Walker Kessler is such a coveted center on the trade market every season. This is what happens when Utah’s defensive anchor is absent. With Kessler out for the season, and the tanking Jazz finally returning to familiarity, this game is Oklahoma City’s for the taking.

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We’ll see what actually happens, though. These two teams — at least recently — have been complete mysteries.

How to watch Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Wednesday, Jan 7, 2026
Time: 6 PM Mt
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Channel: Jazz+, KJZZ
Odds: OKC -17.5

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.