HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 25 points and the Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 140-106 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.
Durant made 8 of 12 shots and had 5 assists. It was the 45th time this season that he scored more than 20 points while shooting 50% or better. That ranks second among NBA players behind Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has done it 47 times.
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Amen Thompson scored 21 points and Alperen Sengun added 19 for the Rockets (48-29), which clinched a playoff spot on Thursday. They are one game behind the Denver Nuggets for fourth in the Western Conference.
Cody Williams led the Jazz with 27 points and 11 rebounds, but they shot just 5 of 27 from beyond the arc.
Utah State (21-57) has lost eight straight games and 12 of 13.
Houston scored the first five points and never trailed. With less than 3 minutes left in the first quarter, Tarry Eason went on an 11-3 run to extend the lead to 10 points. After 12 minutes, the Rockets led by 12 points.
Utah scored the first five points of the second quarter, but the Rockets responded with a 12-2 run to extend their lead to 17 points. At halftime, the point difference widened to 23 points, leading by 19 points.
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The Jazz cut the lead to 14 points, but the Rockets went on a 19-4 run in the final 3 minutes and 20 seconds to enter the fourth quarter with a 29-point advantage.
Next
Jazz: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
Rockets: Play against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
