SALT LAKE CITY – In the high altitude of the Rocky Mountains, the Thunder was trying to hang on to a tenuous lead against a feisty Utah Jazz team. Its 12-point lead with 6:02 remaining had dipped down to 83-78 just two minutes later, and it was time for the Thunder to buckle down. Fortunately, those are the moments that Kevin Durant is built for.
In a 94-90 victory Friday night, the Thunder found an extra reserve of fuel for the final five minutes to outlast a Jazz team that was making a late-game charge. That boost came in the form of Durant, who scored the team’s final 11 points after going scoreless for the first 20 minutes of the second half.
Durant’s barrage started with a leaning 18-footer that was more floater than jump shot, which somehow managed to go in. The next trip down floor, Durant hit his one-legged fadeaway to keep Utah at bay for the moment. At that point, it was clear the perennial All-Star was feeling it for the stretch run.
“I felt like if I hit one shot, I feel like I’m hot,” Durant said. “I was able to make one. It was a crazy, off-balance shot, but once I saw it go through the rim, I was like ‘Let’s go. It’s time to get it going.’ They made a run. They were at home and fed off the energy of the crowd and I tried to do what I do best, be aggressive and make shots.”
Head Coach Billy Donovan’s team wasn’t done with its work yet, however, as the Jazz kept pushing, eventually tying the game at 87 with 1:24 to go. That’s when Durant responded with the most crucial basket of the night, an off-the-dribble three-pointer at the top of the key that sucked all the air out of vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City. After getting a defensive stop, Durant again went to work, this time maneuvering into position against Trevor Booker and rising above him for a 16-footer that put the Thunder up 92-87 with 11.9 seconds to go.
“He’s great because he works,” Donovan explained. “It’s a great parallel to me, is the amount of time he puts into the game. Every shot he takes is a game shot, all the time. It’s not a mistake that he’s as successful as he is because he really invests time in what he’s doing all the time.”
After Durant’s final bucket, it was all academic. Two more Durant free throws, including one that he had to shimmy in, sealed the victory, and also finished off a 21-point, eight-rebound, three-assist, two-steal night for the night’s clutch performer.
Despite playing on the road against a good team in its third game in four nights, the Thunder seemed to muster the strength to set aside Utah’s 16-4 run late in the fourth and focus in on executing down the stretch – a strong sign of this team’s mental toughness.
“The one thing about the group is that they’re highly competitive,” Donovan said. “Our guys really battled and we came up with a lot of plays closing the game out.”
Thunder Thankful for Hot Start
The Thunder knew that the Jazz would put together a burst at some point in this game, so it was critical that it got off to a good start and give itself a buffer for later in the game when fatigue would inevitably set in. Thanks to Russell Westbrook, who put togetrher a 24-point, seven-assist, seven-rebound, two-steal night, the Thunder did exactly that.
In fact, the Thunder built its biggest lead of the night, 14 points, in the first quarter. With a 9-0 start behind a Westbrook-to-Durant alley-oop, an Andre Roberson three-pointer, a Durant dunk and a Westbrook post-up, the Thunder took control early. By the time the Thunder’s reserves entered, Donovan’s group was in total control, able to nurse its lead over the next two quarters until crunch time.
“If we wouldn’t have been up by 12 points in the first quarter, we lose this game,” Durant said. “We knew it was going to be a tough one. I like the way we stuck with it. Late game we didn’t panic. We made the right plays.”
Rematch on Sunday
As Durant mentioned before the game, this Friday-Sunday set of games between the Thunder and the Jazz mimic’s a miniature playoff series, where the two teams will have to make adjustments between games. Playing without Rudy Gobert, the Jazz are a team that plays much more freely on offense, with the ability to attack the paint and kick out to three-point shooters.
The Thunder will need to be wary of the perimeter shot and also continue playing the selfless brand of basketball it has displayed over the past few weeks in order to sweep this home-and-home set.
“We play them again on Sunday, so we have to be ready for it,” Durant said. “They’re going to be more physical. They’re going to try to run their stuff with a little bit more precision. But we’re at home. We like our chances at home.”
“We just want to go out there, play simple basketball and move the ball the way we’ve been doing,” Durant continued. “Defensively we have to touch them up, be aggressive, close the paint up and make them shoot tough shots.”
By the Numbers
9-for-16 – Combined shooting numbers for Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters, who chipped in a combined 21 points and ten rebounds tonight off the bench
11 – Points scored by Kevin Durant in the final four minutes of action
42.3 – The shooting percentage the Thunder forced the Jazz into, in addition to 11 turnovers that led to 11 points
The Last Word
“We’re sharing the basketball and we’re playing offensively very unselfishly. We’re getting better defensively. I don’t think on either end of the floor we’re exactly where we want to be, but we’re moving in a positive direction.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan
