Utah faces a major challenge tonight as they square off with the OKC Thunder. For a Utah Jazz squad entering this matchup with a 4-12 record compared to the Thunder’s unmissable 15-5. This matchup falls under the NBA Cup, so be prepared to have your corneas permanently seared a shade of blue.

In Harry Potter’s Mirror of Erised, one sees only their deepest desire. If Mark Dagnault were to gaze into its reflective surface, he’d see his team lifting this year’s championship trophy. Hardy, meanwhile, sees his team as the Thunder of today.

We dare to dream.

OKC is now as Utah hopes to become. With a bonafide star in SGA with hyper-valuable pieces around him, the Thunder are among basketball’s youngest teams, while also possibly being the most talented. Chet Holmgren is improving by the day, every role player plays a critical role, and Jalen Williams may be the best-case scenario of his younger brother’s career with the Jazz.

Take notes in this one, Jazz fans. The Thunder are nearing the end of a nearly flawless rebuild, and Utah is still blindly swinging at their stock of draft picks, praying to the lottery gods to bestow their franchise centerpiece upon the suffering hoops economy around the Delta Center.

Oklahoma City is favored to win this home game by double-digits, so keeping the game within 10 is a moral victory for Will Hardy’s squad. They’ll still be without Filipowski, Clarkson, and Hendricks.

The Thunder’s absent list includes Jaylin Williams (the less amazing one), Alex Caruso, Alex Ducas, Ousmane Dieng, and Chet Holmgren. They’ll enter this one hobbled, so the Jazz may make a run at this one. Heaven knows Lauri and Sexton will do everything in their power to steal a road win here.

Always remember: every game is a win-win when the overall goal is to lose.

This game will tip off at 6:00 PM MT in Oklahoma City. You can watch it on KJZZ or on Jazz+.