Dillon Jones gets second NBA start in OKC blowout of Jazz
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- Utah forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) dribbles into Oklahoma City forward Dillon Jones during a game Friday, April 11, 2025, in Salt Lake City.
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- Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, right, instructs forward Dillon Jones (3) during a game against Utah on Friday, April 11, 2025, in Salt Lake City.
The best team in the NBA sat most of its usual rotation when visiting the worst team in the NBA as the regular season neared its close Friday night.
That meant Weber State alum and rookie Dillon Jones got the second start of his pro career, helping the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 145-111 demolition of the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center.
In the second half, Jones shot 3 of 6 from the field and 2 of 4 from the 3-point line to score all eight of his points. He added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in 33 minutes. That gave the rookie his second-most rebounds and second-most assists in a game this season.
Oklahoma City (67-14) raced to 46 first-quarter points on the way to the rout. With no shortage of depth, Aaron Wiggins scored 35 points and Isaiah Joe made 10 3-pointers to total 32 points. Utah native Branden Carlson totaled nine points, two rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes off the bench.
Utah (17-64) isn’t playing its best these days, either, making way for young players as the team not-so-subtly secured its spot as one of the three worst teams who will get a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick in this summer’s draft.
But Brice Sensabaugh led the Jazz with 25 points, five rebounds and six assists. Kyle Filipowski added 15 points and 13 rebounds. Off the bench, Oscar Tshiebwe added 10 points and 14 rebounds. Svi Mykhailiuk scored 27 points off the bench.
The Jazz are several games past securing the worst record in franchise history, surpassing the 23-59 mark of the inaugural 1974-75 New Orleans Jazz.
The 34-point blowout now has Oklahoma City poised to claim the largest season-long point differential in NBA history, having outscored opponents by a total of 1,040 points (12.8 per game). That puts the Thunder 33 points ahead of the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers with one game to play.
