Oklahoma City • The Jazz rallied behind a surprising group of players in the fourth quarter, but not even they could keep up with the defending Western Conference champions.
The Thunder beat the Jazz 106-94 at Chesapeake Energy Arena, after cutting a once-18-point deficit to 5 with 7:41 remaining.
However, the Thunder (13-4) went on a 9-2 run and the Jazz couldn’t recover.
Playing behind Earl Watson, Gordon Hayward, Al Jefferson, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks, the Jazz (9-8) opened the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run. Kanter, who has been pushed further down the Jazz bench, scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter.
The Jazz were without small forward Marvin Williams, who did not dress due to concussion symptoms related to a hard fall Wednesday in New Orleans. During the game, the Jazz lost third-year power forward Derrick Favors to a strained right arch. He played just nine minutes. His status for Saturday is unknown.
Al Jefferson added 16 points and 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season, the third-most in the NBA.
The Jazz fell to 3-8 on the road, with one more game on this road trip — Saturday at Houston — before heading home.
Kevin Durant led all players with 25 points, and Russell Westbrook added 23 for the Thunder.
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