Notebook: Thunder 101, Jazz 87

Posted Saturday February 11, 2012 2:04AM

By Andrew Aragon, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Already one of the league's powerhouses on a regular night, the Oklahoma City Thunder are almost unbeatable when coming off a loss or when wrapping up a back-to-back.

The Thunder handled the Utah Jazz 101-87 in a key road victory on Friday night, improving to 5-1 when coming off a loss and 7-2 on the second or third night of a back-to-back or back-to-back-to-back. Russell Westbrook led the way with 28 points, six rebounds and five steals. Kevin Durant chipped in 19 points and five rebounds.

Al Jefferson led the way for the Jazz with 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

QUOTABLE: "Toughness, especially on the road. We're a tough group of guys and when the road hits we know what time it is. You can't lose two or three or four games in a row if you want to be an elite team and we know that, and we're getting better each and every season and every game. If we lose, we take it personal. We come back the next game and come ready to play."
-- Thunder guard Russell Westbrook on what it says about his team being tough to beat after a loss and when closing out a back-to-back.

THE STAT: The Thunder controlled the boards, finishing with a 46-32 rebounding advantage over the Jazz. Ten of Oklahoma City's rebounds came on the offensive end, and it turned them into 19 second-chance points.

TURNING POINT: The Thunder pulled away from the Jazz with a 16-4 run in the third quarter. They did it by getting to the free-throw line, sinking foul shots, hitting a couple 3-pointers and playing great defense. Westbrook and Durant combined to make six free throws, Durant and Daequan Cook each hit a 3, and the Jazz shot 1-for-6 with four turnovers during the spurt. Oklahoma City led 72-62 at the end of the run.

HOT: Serge Ibaka shot 4-for-5 and scored eight points in the first quarter. He topped his season average of 7.5 points in the first period, and finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Durant only took 10 attempts, and shot 5-for-7 in the final three periods. Kendrick Perkins was solid for Oklahoma City with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Raja Bell had a hot hand early, making his first three shots and scoring 10 of his 13 points in the first quarter.

NOT: Cook missed his first six attempts, and shot 1-for-9. James Harden shot just 2-for-8. Paul Millsap had a rough outing for the Jazz, shooting 4-for-15 while scoring 10 points. The Jazz missed five shots, committed three turnovers and scored no points during a four-minute span in the second quarter. Utah scored a total of 35 points in the second and third quarters.

QUOTABLE II: "Tonight was a good indication of how we play. We didn't have a lot of things going for us early. We were turning the ball over, but we fought, we stuck together and we competed. I thought the way we finished the game was good basketball. It was a good win."
-- Thunder coach Scott Brooks on his team fighting through some early struggles while playing the last of a five-game road trip and on the second night of a back-to-back.

GOOD MOVE: Brooks' timing with his timeouts -- and how the Thunder played coming out of them -- was outstanding. His important one in the first half came after a lob from Earl Watson to C.J. Miles gave the Jazz a 40-36 lead and sent the home crowd into a frenzy. The Thunder, after a timeout, went on a 10-0 run. In the fourth quarter, after the Jazz closed to 78-73 with nine minutes left, Oklahoma City went on a 7-0 run to put it away after a Brooks timeout.

FANTASY WATCH: Ibaka can usually be counted on for rebounds and blocked shots, and he recently has added scoring to his fantasy arsenal. His 16 points tied for his second-highest total in a game this season. He's scored in double figures in three of his last five and five of his last 10 games.

ROOKIE WATCH: It was a quiet night for first-year players. Enes Kanter had four points and five rebounds in 13 minutes for the Jazz. For the Thunder, Reggie Jackson scored four points on 1-for-6 shooting in 14 minutes.

NOTABLE: The victory ensured that Brooks will coach the Western Conference in the All-Star Game on Feb. 26. The Thunder made a season-low four 3-pointers, and shot a season-low 20 percent from 3-point range. Utah's six offensive rebounds were a season-low.

UP NEXT: For the Thunder, Tuesday vs. Utah, Wednesday @ Houston, Friday vs. Golden State. For the Jazz, Sunday @ Memphis, Monday @ New Orleans, Tuesday @ Oklahoma City.