Jazz down Thunder following Kanter's rant against former club
The Utah Jazz beat their former teammate Enes Kanter on Saturday and they rubbed some salt in the wound in the process.
Behind a tremendous defensive performance from Rudy Gobert and a balanced attack, the Jazz beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 94-89.
The tone of the match was set before the game thanks to Kanter's harsh comments regarding his former team. Kanter slammed the organization and was showered with boos as a result.
To his credit, Kanter embraced the role of heel and responded with 18 points and 11 rebounds. However, his porous defense provided the Jazz with a lane to the basket all night long.
After the game, Jazz power forward Trevor Booker took the chance to get a dig in at Kanter.
Oh, man. RT @Lockedonsports "He got his stats and he got the L as always" -- Trevor Booker on post game interview on Jazz radio.
— Aaron Falk (@tribjazz) March 29, 2015
Leading the way for Oklahoma City was Russell Westbrook. He dropped 37 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but Gobert's presence at the basket limited Westbrook to 12-of-29 shooting at the rim and contributed to Westbrook's nine turnovers on the night.
With Gobert anchoring the defense, the Jazz used a balanced attack to pace the offense. Four players finished in double-digits, led by Trey Burke, who scored 22 points off the bench.