The NBA trade deadline is, for most teams, an exercise in resource-management. Take the Phoenix Suns. They are so desperate for the flexibility to make moves that they just traded one great first-round pick for three bad ones.

"Maybe in that moment, we were fortunate that they have known each other longer than just this year," Jazz coach Will Hardy said about recent in-game drama.

The Jazz have Sexton to thank for being close against Golden State on Tuesday. The 26-year-old guard led Utah with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting and added four assists.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 123-114.

Alex Caruso is showing just how important he is to the Thunder, with his work on the defensive end receiving praise from Mark Daigneault.

Still without its two big men, the Oklahoma City Thunder went to battle against a healthy Utah Jazz, walking away with a 123-114 victory, improving to 36-7 on t

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.

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.

OKLAHOMA CITY ... added 25 points for the Thunder (36-7), who are tied with Cleveland for the league's best record. John Collins had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Collin Sexton had 18 points and ...

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.

BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City will try to keep its eight-game home win streak intact when the Thunder play Utah. The Thunder are 19-6 in conference play. Oklahoma City scores 116.4 points and has outscored opponents by 12.8 points per game.

Dennis Schroder scored 23 points with five 3-pointers, Brandin Podziemski contributed 20 points off the bench with Stephen Curry sitting out to rest his troublesome knees, and the Golden State Warriors beat the stumbling Utah Jazz 114-103 on