NBA Basketball Box Scores

National Basketball Association

BOXSCORE | RECAP

Oklahoma City 107, Utah 79

When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Officials: #37 Eric Dalen, #59 Gary Zielinski, #4 Sean Wright
Attendance: 18203

By The Sports Xchange

OKLAHOMA CITY -- From glimpses to games to winning streaks, the Oklahoma City Thunder are looking more and more like the super team put together to compete for the NBA championship.

Midway through the third quarter of a 107-79 victory against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday -- the Thunder's fourth win in five games -- the lead reached 33 points, a season high for Oklahoma City.

The formula for success looks eerily similar to last season: Russell Westbrook dominating the ball and the stat sheet.

Westbrook finished three assists shy of his 11th triple-double of the season -- 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists -- and Oklahoma City (16-15) reached a winning record for the first time since Halloween.

A quartet of Thunder alley-oops highlighted the second quarter. Forward Jerami Grant had a one-handed windmill put-back slam, and Paul George posterized a Utah defender, sending the Thunder bench into a giddy flurry.

"That's the most important part," Westbrook said. "You've gotta have fun and embrace the game. You don't take it for granted. Go out and compete and have fun at the same time. It's enjoyable. You have to enjoy it."

George and Carmelo Anthony didn't score much in the first half but helped facilitate an offense that shot 51.9 percent from the field. Anthony finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, and George added 18 points for the Thunder, whose eight wins through the first three weeks of December match their total through the first two months of the season.

"They are a tough team to defend," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "Can't turn the ball over like that and win. It's that simple. There is a mindset that you have to have to just be tougher with the ball and be more sure. Be more efficient, and we weren't that tonight."

Utah (14-18) ended its six-game road trip with another loss -- its 13th in 16 games away from home this season. The Jazz committed 18 turnovers, leading to 28 points for Oklahoma City.

Rodney Hood scored 17 points to lead the Jazz, who have lost seven of the past eight overall and 14 straight road games against the Thunder. Alec Burks scored 14, and Thabo Sefolosha had 12.

"We turned the ball over to start the game," Snyder said. "That makes it where you don't even get a feel for the game. They're as good as anybody at converting. They turn you over and they score. That's what happened early. We got punched and we weren't able to bounce back."

The Thunder raced out to a 19-3 lead, holding Utah to just one basket through the first 7:23 of the game. Westbrook, who finished with just one turnover, scored 14 during the game-opening run.

Oklahoma City boasts the NBA's third-best scoring defense. The Thunder allowed just nine first-quarter points -- their third-best single-quarter defensive performance of the season -- and held the Jazz to 35.6 percent shooting from the field for the game.

"If we consider ourselves being a great team, becoming a great team, that's a step we have to take, coming out in that third quarter, knowing that we can't let up, learning how to take it up another level coming out of halftime," Anthony said. "It's something that we're getting better at."

Utah returns home for a two-game stop before playing six of its next eight games on the road. Oklahoma City continues its homestand with five of its next six games at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Westbrook made keeping the momentum going seem easy after the game. It certainly looked easy during it.

"One day at a time, champ," he said with a smirk.

NOTES: Utah G Donovan Mitchell missed the game due to a toe contusion. Mitchell leads all rookies with 17.7 points per game and set the Jazz single-game rookie scoring record with 41 points. ... Thunder C Steven Adams returned to the starting lineup after missing the past two games in concussion protocol. He pulled down nine rebounds and scored 11 points in 26 minutes. ... Utah coach Quin Snyder was called for a technical foul with 40 seconds to play in the first half. The ensuing free throws pushed the Thunder lead to 17 points. It was Snyder's second technical of the season.

Top Game Performances

Utah		Oklahoma City
Rodney Hood 17	Scoring	Russell Westbrook 24
Alec Burks 4	Assists	Russell Westbrook 7
Jonas Jerebko 8	Rebounds	Russell Westbrook 10
Alec Burks 7	Free Throws Made	Carmelo Anthony 6
Alec Burks 2	Steals	Russell Westbrook 4
Thabo Sefolosha 2	Blocks	Jerami Grant 2

Team Stats Summary

Team	Points	FG%	3PM-3PA	FTM-FTA	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals	Turnovers
Utah	79	35.6	7-31	20-27	13	39	3	6	19
Oklahoma City	107	51.9	8-23	19-22	23	42	5	15	14

Upcoming Games

Oklahoma City will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Thunder have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .533 after a loss.

Utah will play their next game at home against San Antonio. The Jazz have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .353 after a loss.