NBA NEWS

Thunder’s Westbrook lowers boom on Jazz

The Sports Xchange

December 05, 2017 at 7:51 pm.

Dec 5, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson (21) forward Paul George (13) forward Carmelo Anthony (7) guard Russell Westbrook (0) and center Steven Adams (12) take the court after a timeout in action against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Photo Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 5, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson (21) forward Paul George (13) forward Carmelo Anthony (7) guard Russell Westbrook (0) and center Steven Adams (12) take the court after a timeout in action against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Photo Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook recorded a triple-double as the Oklahoma City Thunder came back from a 17-point deficit late in the third quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 100-94 at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Tuesday night.

Westbrook had 34 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds for his seventh triple-double of the season as the Thunder extended their winning streak to three games and snapped Utah’s six-game winning streak.

The Thunder (11-12) beat Utah for the 13th consecutive time at home.

Paul George added 21 points while Steven Adams scored 20 points, his third consecutive game with 19 or more. Adams was 9 of 10 from the floor and also grabbed nine rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony had 14 for his first double-digit scoring performance in the win streak.

Utah (13-12) managed only 14 fourth-quarter points as the Thunder scored 32 to finish off the comeback.

Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 31 points, while Joe Ingles added 16.

The Jazz went cold on offense late in the third quarter, and Anthony and George turned on the Thunder offense in the fourth.

The pair combined for 19 points in the fourth to help Oklahoma City complete the rally.

Westbrook picked the ball away from Mitchell with 4:14 left and finished it off on the other end to put the Thunder up 88-87, their first lead since the opening moments of the game.

It was one of two critical turnovers for Mitchell down the stretch.

After the Jazz regained the lead briefly, George drove to the basket, finishing and picking up the foul to put the Thunder back in front.

Mitchell turned the ball over again on the ensuing possession, and this time it was Anthony finishing on the other end, taking a feed from Westbrook and hitting a step-back jumper to extend the lead.

Oklahoma City outrebounded the Jazz 23-13 in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder are 3-9 in games decided by eight points or fewer, though all three wins have come during the current winning streak.

NOTES: Jazz PG Raul Neto, a night after returning from two games out with an injury, missed the game with right foot soreness. Utah G Rodney Hood sat out his fifth consecutive contest due to left ankle soreness. … Thunder PG Russell Westbrook blocked his 200th career shot, becoming the only player in NBA history with 200 blocks, 5,000 assists and 15,000 points in his first 700 career games. … Utah G Thabo Sefolosha played in the game a night after being removed by referees when he took an elbow to the head from teammate Neto. … Thunder C Steven Adams made his first seven field-goal tries.

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