HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 25 points and the Houston Rockets won their fifth straight game, beating the Utah Jazz 140-106 on Friday night.
Durant shot 8 of 12 from the field and added five assists. It was the 45th time this season he's scored 20 or more points while shooting 50% or better. That’s second among NBA players behind Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has done it 47 times.
Amen Thompson had 21 points and Alperen Sengun
scored 19 for the Rockets (48-29), who clinched a playoff spot Thursday. They are a game behind Denver for fourth place in the Western Conference.
Cody Williams led the Jazz with 27 points and 11 rebounds, but they shot just 5 of 27 from behind the 3-point line.
Utah (21-57) has lost eight consecutive games and 12 of 13.
Houston scored the first five points and never trailed. Tari Eason capped an 11-3 run with less than three minutes left in the first quarter to push the lead to 10, and the Rockets led by 12 after 12 minutes.
Utah scored the first five points of the second, but the Rockets answered with a 12-2 burst to push their lead to 17. The margin grew to 23 before Houston took a 19-point lead into halftime.
The Jazz whittled the lead down to 14, but the Rockets used a 19-4 run in the final 3:20 of the period to take a 29-point advantage into the fourth.
Jazz: At the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
Rockets: At the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
