NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from the match as the Thunder had a tight win over the Jazz

The Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with a tight victory against the Utah Jazz 107-106. This was the second time that the Thunder have beaten the Jazz this NBA season after getting knocked out by them in last year's playoffs.

Paul George continued his MVP level display and led the Thunder again in this match while Russell Westbrook struggled massively.

With the victory, the Thunder are tied for the first position in the Western Conference playoff standings with a 21-10 record. They have been playing great basketball this season and their team chemistry continues to increase with each passing game.

The Jazz are struggling to qualify for the playoffs this season. The Jazz were expected to be one of the top teams to challenge the Warriors this season. Instead, they have regressed this season. They look like the shadow of a team that they were last year. They are currently lying at the 12th position in the West with a 16-18 record.

Here are the top 3 takeaways from the match:

#3 Another domination on the boards from the Thunder:

Steven Adams is having a great year for the Thunder

The Thunder are the second-ranked team in the NBA when it comes to crashing the glass. In fact, they lie in the first position when it comes to offensive rebounding. They again dominated the boards in this game.

The Thunder outrebounded the Jazz 51-44 in this game. The efforts on rebounding and on the defensive end are the two most crucial factors that have led to the Thunder domination this season.

George had the team-high in rebounds with 14 boards. Westbrook and Steven Adams had 12 and 10 boards respectively for the match. Adams has been one of the best rebounders in the game and his domination in the paint impacts the game on both the ends.

#2 Great ball movement from the Utah Jazz:

Rubio and Mitchell had a combined 20 assists in the match

It is quite evident from this early part of the season that the Jazz don't possess too many shot creators that can create off the dribble and score buckets. The Jazz rely on ball movement to create spaces for the players to operate.

Their ball movement was quite apparent in this game. The Jazz finished with 35 assists on the night. Ricky Rubio had the game-high 14 assists. Joe Ingles and Donovan Mitchell also added 8 and 6 assists respectively.

The Jazz led for more than a half of the match. The Thunder totally changed the match in the third quarter, outscoring the Jazz 35-20 and taking the lead in the match. They never looked back and handed the Jazz with another loss.

The Jazz next host the Portland Trail Blazers on Christmas night and will be hoping for a different result.

#1 Another MVP level display from Paul George:

PG has been the best player for Thunder this season

Paul George ended last season's playoffs with a 5-point performance against the Jazz. He signed with the Thunder again in the summer and has been a totally different player this season.

George again scored the game-high 43 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out 6 assists. He shot 15-25 from the floor and 5-10 from the 3PT line. He has now scored back to back 40 points for the first time in his career.

George has been averaging 26.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.7 blocks per game for the season. All are career highs. He has been the leader for the Thunder in every game this season. Whenever the Thunder needed, George has produced clutch buckets for his team. PG has now become one of the contenders for the NBA MVP award.