Thunder 94, Jazz 90
SALT LAKE CITY -- Kevin Durant went on a late-game tear and the Oklahoma City Thunder thwarted a late rally by the Utah Jazz for a 94-90 win on Friday night.
Durant scored the final 11 points and finished with 21 for the Thunder, who picked up their fourth straight victory.
Forward Gordon Hayward had 19 points and eight rebounds for Utah, which couldn't overcome a rough start while falling at home to Oklahoma City for the second time in less than three weeks.
The Jazz, who trailed by as many as 14 points, made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 87, but Durant went to work. The Thunder star followed Trevor Booker's dunk and free throw with a 3-pointer and then hit a dagger of a jumper with 11 seconds remaining to put the game away.
Guard Russell Westbrook led the Thunder (15-8) with 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Former Jazz center Enes Kanter (11 points) and guard Dion Waiters (10) had productive outings off the bench for Oklahoma City.
Guard Trey Burke scored 16 points off the bench for Utah but missed a game-tying 3-point attempt with 55 seconds to go.
Guard Alec Burks added 15 points and center Derrick Favors contributed 13 points and seven rebounds for Utah (10-11).
The Jazz trailed 83-72 when they mounted a late comeback, beginning with two free throws by Hayward. Durant temporarily derailed the rally with two tough baskets, but Utah went on a 6-0 run to tie it at 87 after a Booker putback dunk and a free throw.
Durant put the game away with a 3-pointer and a mid-range jumper sandwiched around Burke's 3-point miss that could have tied the score. The latter came after Waiters grabbed a key offensive rebound with 32 seconds left, denying the Jazz another chance to tie it.
The Thunder went ahead early when Durant scored 13 seconds into the game and for a while that looked like an insurmountable lead.
The Jazz took a timeout a minute later after falling behind 7-0 and the Thunder cruised to a 27-15 lead by the end of the quarter.
Utah, which had averaged 111 points in its three previous games, matched its season low for points in the first quarter after missing 15 of 20 shots from the field.
Burks scored eight points in the second quarter and the Jazz outscored the Thunder 29-25 to pull within single digits at 52-44 headed into halftime.
Despite not having injured center Rudy Gobert (knee), the Jazz played much better against the Thunder than he did in a 111-89 blowout at Vivint Arena on Nov. 23.
The two teams square off again Sunday in Oklahoma City.
NOTES: The Jazz learned Friday that G Rodney Hood was not going to receive further punishment from the NBA after he was ejected and given a flagrant-2 foul for pushing Knicks G Sasha Vujacic into the basketball standard on a fast break. ... Before Friday's game, Jazz coach Quin Snyder admitted he's not too distraught when his team loses to teams like the Thunder because of F Kevin Durant and G Russell Westbrook. "Those are two of the top five players in the NBA. I don't think there's any shame in losing to a team like that." ... The Utah Jazz haven't had an All-Star since G Deron Williams in 2011, but F/C Derrick Favors, who's averaging career-highs in scoring (17.4), rebounds (8.9) and steals (1.7), isn't being shy about his desire to be chosen. "One of the goals I set out for myself before the season started was to become an All-Star," Favors wrote on his personal blog. "... Of course there's always room for improvement, but I went in to the season with high expectations for myself, and I think I am meeting those."