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.