Gilgeous-Alexander was instrumental in the Thunder's giant run, converting on consistent buckets and silencing the crowd. The run peaked with a minute left in the third period, when the Kentucky product drilled a 26-foot pull-up three-point jumper to give OKC a 19-point advantage.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to overwhelm opponents on a nightly basis, strengthening their hold on the Western Conference’s top spot. Entering Friday at 16-1, Oklahoma City added another statement win in NBA Cup play, rolling past the Utah Jazz 144-112 to improve to 2-0 in Group Play.

In Wednesday’s victory over the Kings, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Thunder as he recorded 33 points and eight rebounds while Chet Holmgren added 21 points and seven rebounds of his own. Now Oklahoma City will try to keep their torrid start to the season going on Friday night in a matchup against a struggling Jazz team.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/jazz/onsi as Will Hardy Had Honest Takeaway on Jazz's NBA Cup Loss vs. Thunder. The Utah Jazz, at one point through the night, looked like they had a chance to come out with a shocking upset victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Still, the Thunder's 30-2 run was the quintessential moment that exemplified the defending champion's dominance, extending the NBA's best record to 17 wins in 18 tries, with enough time for Gilgeous-Alexander to sit out the entire fourth quarter. Oklahoma City coerced the Jazz into a whopping 27 turnovers.

The Oklahoma City Thunder opens their in-season tournament run on the road against the Sacramento Kings Friday.

Oklahoma City Thunder aim to extend their impressive 16-1 record as they face the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Brandon Carlson returns to his hometown for this NBA Cup matchup at the Delta Center.

The Pacers' rapid nosedive continues, and on Friday night, they became the first team to be eliminated from NBA Cup contention.