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Oklahoma City • The 27 points were impressive. The seven rebounds made Quin Snyder mildly happy. The Utah Jazz rookie coach nodded at the thought of Enes Kanter dominating the Oklahoma City Thunder offensively through stretches.

But Snyder already knew Kanter could score.

No, what made Snyder REALLY happy was how well Kanter played defensively in Utah's 105-91 preseason win over an OKC team adjusting to life without Kevin Durant. What made Snyder happy was the grit Kanter showed and the effort he put into guarding Serge Ibaka in the lane and away from the basket.

Want to earn those minutes on Snyder's team? Play defense. Kanter did just that on Tuesday night, and looked like the best player on the floor as a result.

"Well, he scored, and we know he can score just fine," Snyder said. "He really competed defensively. Ibaka is a really tough cover for anybody, especially for someone of Enes' size. It wasn't perfect, but he tried out there, and that's what made me happy."

It's been a sometimes-frustrating preseason for Kanter. Last week in a defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers, he was benched in the fourth quarter for missing defensive rotations. He'd been hesitant offensively, not clearly knowing when to pass or when to be aggressive in looking for his shot. In a preseason striking for the improvement of many on the team, Kanter stuck out as someone appearing in danger of going the other way.

But that all took a turn against the Thunder.

On Tuesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Kanter shot 12-for-17 from the field. He made both of his attempts from 3-point range. He scored from the perimeter. He scored on post-ups near the hoop. He ran the floor for easy buckets. It was by far the best he's looked since training camp began.

"I just think I focused a lot more tonight than I have been," Kanter said. "I had been feeling a bit rusty. I had the knee injury and it did help me rest, but I haven't been playing with the national team. I just need to be confident and play the way I've been used to playing."

Utah moved to 5-2 on the preseason with the victory. It was a game that the Jazz took over for good midway through the second quarter.

Along the way, a few trends have continued. Utah once again put five starters into double-figures. Trey Burke had 23 points, Alec Burks had 15, Derrick Favors had 12 points and 15 rebounds, while Gordon Hayward scored 14 points, handed out six assists and grabbed four rebounds.

Once again, the Jazz were stellar as a team on the defensive end.

OKC point guard Russell Westbrook scored 14 points and handed out 11 assists, but shot 6-for-16 from the field, primarily while Burke was guarding him.

The Jazz led by as much as 21 points. That did much to offset a horrible bench performance, where the second unit shot 4-for-24 from the field as a whole.

"I think the starting five is really finding a groove together," Snyder said. "I think having Alec come back last game, I think they're starting to get a feel for each other. That's what we're hoping. We haven't had that group together and we wanted to see how they click." —

Storylines

O Utah puts all five starters in double figures

• Trey Burke plays 28 minutes without a turnover

INSIDE • Jazz rookie guard Dante Exum recently found out that he and Oklahoma City Thunder rookie forward Josh Huestis are third cousins through their parents. > D3