The NBA odds already have Utah listed as a massive underdog, and that spread could continue to grow with injuries up front for the visitor. With potential holes around the hoop, center Walker Kessler is called upon to pick up the slack in both scoring and rebounding.

As Cason Wallace landed on the Paycom Center hardwood, he immediately knew what he just pulled off. A Westbrook-ian scowl graced his face, he flexed to the side

Utah now continues its road trip against the best in the west, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OKC had 13 straight home games since a 121-119 defeat on Nov. 17 to the Mavericks, who played without Doncic that night. This was the fourth and last meeting of the season between these teams that met in last season’s Western Conference semifinals.

Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik looked out on the court and saw what he hopes will be his team’s future. Four of the five players on the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder — the top team in the Western Conference — were players it had drafted.

The OKC Thunder hope to get a second straight win as they travel back to the Sooner State to play a dwindled Jazz team.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are in a prime ... Jaylin Williams will be the primary center for the Thunder with Holmgren and Hartenstein out, and that could lead to a big game on the glass for Kessler. The former first-round ...

To start, both teams relied on their strengths to keep it a close contest. The Thunder forced 27 turnovers and scored 39 points; the Jazz grabbed 23 offensive rebounds and scored 31 second-chance points. Then Gilgeous-Alexander took over down the stretch in a classic MVP moment.

Utah Jazz (10-31, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (35-7, first in the Western Conference) Oklahoma City; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City will try to keep its eight-game home win streak intact when the Thunder play Utah.

The Utah Jazz travel a little bit south to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series with a Jazz-Thunder prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 123-114 home win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.