Oct. 21—SALT LAKE CITY — Tre Mann sized up an open 3-pointer from the wing, but then he dished to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was all by himself in the corner.

Clank.

And that’s how the Thunder’s offense went Wednesday night in Salt Lake City. Good ball movement leading to good looks and bad misses.

“I felt comfortable on every shot I took,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who shot 7-of-17 and 1-of-7 from 3-point range. “Obviously they didn’t go in as much as I’d like them to, but it’s life, it’s basketball.”

The Thunder shot 7-of-35 from 3-point range in its 107- 86 season-opening loss at the Jazz.

Three times in the first half, Thunder guard Theo Maledon was alone behind the arc after a sharp series of passes. All three possessions ended in a Maledon miss. Darius Bazley was 1-of-7 from three. Luguentz Dort was 1-of-6.

It’s not like the Jazz was all that great from deep (14-of- 47). But 30% beats 20%.

Only three Thunders scored in double digits: Gilgeous-Alexander (18), Bazley (15) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (10).

Despite the misses, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was generally pleased with the looks.

“I thought we had decent possessions there,” Daigneault said. “This is just a team that it’s hard to get cracks against.”

The Thunder whipped the ball around the perimeter, more so in the first half than the second half. OKC’s new brand of positionless basketball often means there’s multiple capable distributors on the floor together.

Here are four more takeaways from the Thunder’s season opener:

Derrick Favors starts in homecoming

There was only one question about the Thunder’s starting lineup before opening night.

Who would start at center?

Daigneault answered the question 90 minutes before tip-off.

Derrick Favors.

Why Favors over Isaiah Roby, Mike Muscala or Robinson-Earl?

“Stability” was the first reason Daigneault gave, but that was only a small part of the truth.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Daigneault said. “He’s coming home. This is a special place to him, and I wanted to acknowledge that. It’s no secret how this market feels about him, and how he feels about this market. Every organization can only hope that a player feels that way when they leave a place.”

Favors was drafted third overall by the Nets in 2010, but his time in New Jersey was brief. He was traded to the Jazz as part of the Deron Williams blockbuster.

Favors played 10 seasons with the Jazz, interrupted with a one-year stop in New Orleans. He was traded to OKC in the offseason. The Thunder received a future first-round pick for taking on his contract.

“It felt weird,” Favors said of being back. “The only thing I was thinking was, don’t walk past the locker room like I’m going to the home locker room. I gotta remember I’m on the visiting team.”

Favors received a standing ovation from Jazz fans during the first-quarter break. There were more than a few “Favors” Jazz jerseys in the seats at Vivint Arena.

“I was just hoping I didn’t get emotional, because I’ve been here for so long,” Favors said. “The fans always showed me love ... It was tough. Especially going up against Rudy (Gobert).”

Favors had four points and nine rebounds while battling Gobert down low. Favors shot 2-of-9 from the floor.

Being in the Thunder’s starting lineup meant something to him, as Daigneault knew.

“For selfish reasons, yeah,” Favors said. “Obviously I was here for so long, and I just wanted to start. For selfish reasons.

“Like I told (Daigneault), throughout the season I don’t care if I start or come off the bench.”

Tre Mann first guard off bench

The Thunder’s backup guard rotation is going to be fascinating to monitor.

Rookie Tre Mann was the first guard off the bench Wednesday. Mann and Maledon shared backup guard minutes. Maledon with 21 minutes, and Mann with 15.

Most notably left out of the rotation? Third-year guard Ty Jerome, who shot 42% from 3-point range last season.

“That’s what we’re rolling with right now,” Daigneault said. “We’ll look at a lot of different things as we find the right chemistry with the team.”

In other rotation-related news, Daigneault played 11 guys in the first half. Left on the bench next to Jerome were Mike Muscala, Gabriel Deck and Vit Krejci. Krejci checked in late in the fourth quarter. Neither Deck nor Muscala played.

Two-way players Paul Watson Jr. and Aaron Wiggins were inactive.

Rudy Gobert dominates

The Thunder’s lack of interior size is glaring. Even more so against Gobert.

The Jazz center had 16 points and 21 rebounds. He had a double-double in his first 12 minutes.

Gobert started against Favors, who was no match despite being the biggest body on the Thunder’s roster. Roby and Robinson-Earl are even smaller.

The Thunder actually attacked Gobert on the other end. Utah only outscored OKC 50-46 in the paint.

The Thunder was 16-of-25 in the restricted area. The Jazz was 16-of-24.

Rookie watch Robinson-Earl had the best debut among the Thunder’s rookies.

The rookie from Villanova only played 13 minutes, but he had 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. He was 2-of-3 from deep, with both makes coming in the fourth quarter.

Robinson-Earl and Josh Giddey flashed a pick-and-roll partnership. Giddey finished with four points, 10 rebounds and three assists in his first NBA game.

Mann had nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.