Thunder 90, Jazz 80
Russell Westbrook scored 25 points and Kevin Durant had 21 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists as visiting Oklahoma City knocked off Utah.
Serge Ibaka added 16 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots as the Thunder moved within a half-game of the San Antonio Spurs for the top spot in the Western Conference. Thabo Sefolosha chipped in 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Mo Williams scored 19 points and Gordon Hayward added 17 for the Jazz, who fell a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the battle for the eighth and final playoff berth in the West. Utah holds the tiebreaker edge.
The Thunder had an 82-70 lead after Westbrook’s 3-pointer with 4:30 to go. Utah responded with a 10-2 run to pull within four on Paul Millsap’s basket with 23.4 seconds remaining before Durant hit two free throws and Westbrook stole the ball and drove for a dunk to push the lead to 88-80 with 16.3 seconds left.
Both teams shot less than 40 percent in the first half as Oklahoma City led 45-35 at the break. The Thunder increased the lead to 14 on a 3-pointer by Sefolosha with 8:41 left in the third quarter and had a seven-point lead entering the final 12 minutes.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Thunder were 17-for-18 from the free-throw line with Durant hitting all eight of his attempts. … Utah C Al Jefferson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. … Oklahoma City finished at 39.5 percent from the field and the Jazz shot 39.2.