Kanter leads Jazz past Thunder 105-91
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Enes Kanter scored 27 points to help the Utah Jazz defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-91 in preseason action Tuesday night.
Kanter made 12 of 17 shots and pulled down seven rebounds. Trey Burke had 23 points, Alec Burks scored 15 and Derrick Favors had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz.
Oklahoma City struggled in its final preseason game. Perry Jones scored 20 points and Russell Westbrook added 14 points and 11 assists. The Thunder will start the regular season without MVP Kevin Durant, who will miss at least the first month of the season with a Jones fracture in his right foot.
Kanter scored 16 points in the first half on 7-for-11 shooting to help the Jazz take a 58-50 lead. Before the break, Serge Ibaka had 12 points and Westbrook had 10 points and eight assists for the Thunder.
Utah pushed its lead to 66-52 in the early minutes of the third quarter with a 3-pointer for Kanter, and the Jazz led 85-69 at the end of the third quarter.
The Jazz shot just 40 percent from the field in the first three quarters, but outrebounded the Thunder 40-27. They remained in control throughout the fourth quarter.
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TIP-INS:
The Thunder: Nick Collison played for the first time this preseason after sitting out with an ankle sprain. He scored eight points in 11 minutes. ... G Reggie Jackson (wrist contusion), F Grant Jerrett (ankle), G Jeremy Lamb (heel contusion), F Mitch McGary (foot fracture) and C Kendrick Perkins (quad strain) all joined Durant on the sideline.
The Jazz: Favors had 11 points and 11 rebounds at halftime. ... The Jazz made 19 of 28 free throws in the first half while Oklahoma City made 3 of 6. ... The Jazz outscored the Thunder 20-6 on fast breaks. ... Rudy Gobert had three blocks in 21 minutes.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma City plays at Portland on Oct. 29.
The Jazz host Phoenix on Friday.
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