Westbrook delivers winning shot, triple-double for OKC
SALT LAKE CITY -- Russell Westbrook drilled a jumper to break a tie with 1.4 seconds left as part of his 22nd triple-double of the season and lifted the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 97-95 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Russell Westbrook had 38 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Victor Oladipo added 18 points and Enes Kanter chipped in with 14 off the bench.
Oklahoma City (26-19) snapped Utah's six-game winning streak.
Gordon Hayward had 17 points to lead the Jazz and Alec Burks added 13 off the bench.
Utah (29-17) had a chance to win it in the final seconds after Hayward tied it on a 3-pointer with 10.5 seconds left. Burks got off an off-balance corner 3-pointer before the buzzer that glanced off the rim.
Oklahoma City improved to 17-5 this season when Westbrook has a triple-double.
The Thunder came out strong on defense in the first quarter. Oklahoma City forced three turnovers and scored seven points off those takeaways, culminating in a steal and dunk from Oladipo that gave the Thunder a 21-15 lead.
Trey Lyles countered with big baskets to put the Jazz up 31-27 in front early in the second quarter. Lyles sparked a 14-2 run with a 3-pointer and then sank another one for the go-ahead basket near the end of the spurt.
Utah led by as much as five points in the quarter, going up 38-33 after Joe Ingles scored on a steal and dunk and Dante Exum drained a 3-pointer a possession later. Oklahoma City did not trail for long.
The Thunder used a 12-1 run to sprint in front of the Jazz before halftime. Westbrook capped the run by stealing a pass from Ingles and then feeding Andre Roberson to set up an alley oop dunk. Roberson's basket put Oklahoma City up 56-47 with 1:07 left in the half.
Westbrook totaled 22 points, six assists and five rebounds in the first half alone.
Utah got another spark from its bench midway through the third quarter. Exum drove for two layups to kick-start a 13-0 Jazz run. By the time Gobert finished it with a finger-roll layup and a free throw, Utah surged back in front 66-60 with 3:58 remaining in the quarter.
Oklahoma City struggled to answer when Westbrook went cold from the field. The veteran guard missed 13 consecutive shots during a 22-minute stretch spanning both halves before breaking the drought on a short jumper with 5:04 left. His second basket of the half helped the Thunder take an 87-86 lead with 3:06 remaining.
NOTES: Jazz owner Gail Miller announced Monday afternoon that ownership of the team will be placed in a legacy trust to ensure the team remains in Utah indefinitely. Miller will be the trustee and will be succeeded by a six member board of managers drawn from her family upon her death. "We've had many opportunities over the years to sell the franchise for a huge profit," Miller said. "But we've been clear from the beginning that our mission is to ensure the Utah Jazz stay in Utah. All of us see the Jazz as a community asset and a rallying point for the people of Utah." ... Thunder G Russell Westbrook has 58 career triple-doubles, the most among active NBA players. Oklahoma City is 49-9 in those games, which includes a 16-5 record this season. ... Jazz G Rodney Hood missed his fourth straight game with a bone bruise and hyperxtended knee. ... Thunder C Steven Adams returned to the starting lineup after missing two games with a concussion. Adams is averaging 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds this season. ... Joe Ingles (.450) and George Hill (.449) are the only teammates to rank in the top 10 in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage. Ingles ranks second and Hill is third.