Durant leads Thunder past Jazz
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Durant scored 10 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied for a 99-94 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Six of Durant's total came during a pivotal 10-1 run that turned a six-point deficit into a 94-91 lead with two minutes remaining, helping the Thunder bounce back from consecutive lopsided road defeats to Golden State and Sacramento.
Russell Westbrook came up big for Oklahoma City as well, racking up 25 points and 12 assists, while newly acquired Dion Waiters put up 15 points off the bench in his second game with the Thunder.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's a lot different, I'm able to play," Waiters said.
Utah, fresh off a 20-point triumph at Eastern Conference power Chicago on Wednesday, received 27 points from Gordon Hayward and 22 from Derrick Favors. Trey Burke added 20 points in the loss, with Favors finishing with 11 rebounds.
"I'm proud of our team, I thought we didn't make anything easy for them," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trailing nearly the entire third quarter and down 90-84 with under 4 1/2 minutes to play, the Thunder finished strong as Durant carried his team on his back.
The reigning league MVP sank a reverse layup and Westbrook followed with a jumper before Durant knocked down a contested step-back shot to tie the game with 3:19 left. After Favors was whistled for a travel on the ensuing possession, Durant struck again by hitting a tough turnaround jumper to send Oklahoma City in front.
Favors hit 1-of-2 free throws on the other end to bring Utah back within one. However, Hayward's pass on the Jazz's next trip was stolen by Westbrook and led to a Waiters fastbreak jam that put the Thunder up 94-91 with 2:10 to go.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Burke answered with a pair of foul shots, but Utah came up empty its next time down the court and Durant kicked the ball out on the following possession to Waiters, who drained a 3-pointer that all but sealed the outcome with 23 seconds remaining.
After both teams shot the ball well during an opening quarter that ended in a 27-27 tie, the Jazz began the second on an 8-0 run capped by consecutive 3- pointers from Elijah Millsap. Utah stayed ahead through the remainder of the half, though Oklahoma City cut the lead to 41-40 behind an 11-4 push.
Burke countered with five straight points to help the Jazz enter the break holding a 50-44 advantage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Thunder fought back to draw even at 60-60 midway through the third quarter, and the Jazz held a slim 76-74 edge entering the fourth before later extending the margin to 85-78 with eight minutes left.
Game Notes
Oklahoma City had been 1-13 this season when trailing after three quarters ... The loss was Utah's eighth straight at Chesapeake Energy Arena, where it hasn't prevailed since Oct. 31, 2010 ... The game was the 500th behind the bench for Thunder head coach Scott Brooks ... Utah center Rudy Gobert recorded seven blocks and has 21 over his last four outings ... Favors reached the 20- point mark for a third consecutive game.