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SALT LAKE CITY -- Russell Westbrook turned the Oklahoma City Thunder's final possession into a high-speed chess match. Moments after Gordon Hayward drilled a 3-pointer to help the Utah Jazz tie the game with 10.5 seconds left, Westbrook pushed the ball up the floor. He had an opportunity for a shot early, but he hesitated while one second after another ticked off the clock. Then, like a grandmaster entrapping a king, he struck.
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Checkmate.
Westbrook buried a go-ahead jumper with 1.4 seconds left to lift the Thunder to a 97-95 victory over Utah on Monday night.
"I didn't want to take the shot too early," Westbrook said. "I was open early but kind of waited. I wanted to knock some time off the clock. Coach made the decision to bring it up the floor, and that was good for us. Got the shot I wanted.
The veteran guard finished with 38 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, his 22nd triple-double of the season. He also tied Larry Bird for fifth all-time with 59 career triple-doubles.
Oklahoma City (26-19) snapped Utah's six-game winning streak. The Thunder improved to 17-5 this season when Westbrook has a triple-double.
Victor Oladipo added 18 points, and Enes Kanter chipped in with 14 off the Oklahoma City bench.
Westbrook, as usual, delivered the lion's share of clutch plays down the stretch. He shook off a 22-minute stretch spanning both halves where he missed 13 consecutive shots. It offered a stark contrast to the first half, where he totaled 22 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan felt Westbrook made up for it by stepping it up on the defensive end after halftime.
"No one going is going to stay hot an entire game like he was (in the first half)," Donovan said. "I give him a lot of credit for just having a great level of belief and trust in himself and confidence and belief in the way he plays."
Hayward had 17 points to lead the Jazz, and Alec Burks added 13 off the bench.
Utah (29-17) had a chance to win it in the final moments after Westbrook's late shot. Burks got off an off-balance corner 3-point try before the buzzer that glanced off the rim.
"It was a tough game for us," Hayward said. "I felt like they made the plays when they needed to and we didn't. It's a frustrating one, but it's one you got to try to let go and move on."
The Thunder came out strong on defense from the start. Oklahoma City forced three turnovers in the first quarter and scored seven points off those takeaways, culminating in a steal and dunk from Oladipo that gave the Thunder a 21-15 lead.
Trey Lyles countered with big baskets to put the Jazz up 31-27 in front early in the second quarter. Lyles sparked a 14-2 run with a 3-pointer and then sank another one for the go-ahead basket near the end of the spurt. Utah led by as many as five points in the quarter, going up 38-33 after Joe Ingles scored on a steal and dunk and Dante Exum drained a 3-pointer a possession later.
Oklahoma City did not trail for long.
The Thunder used a 12-1 run to sprint in front of the Jazz before halftime. Westbrook capped the run by stealing a pass from Ingles and then feeding Andre Roberson to set up an alley-oop dunk. Roberson's basket put Oklahoma City up 56-47 with 1:07 left in the half.
Utah got another spark from its bench midway through the third quarter. Exum drove for two layups to kick-start a 13-0 Jazz run. By the time Rudy Gobert finished it with a finger-roll layup and a free throw, Utah surged back in front 66-60 with 3:58 remaining in the quarter.
"I thought our guys hung in there," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "We looked like a drained team emotionally."
Oklahoma City struggled to answer when Westbrook went cold from the field in the third quarter. The Thunder scored only 11 points in the period. Westbrook didn't break his streak of 13 missed shots until burying a short a short jumper with 5:04 left in the game. His second basket of the half helped the Thunder take an 87-86 lead with 3:06 remaining.
Once Westbrook found his rhythm again, he was able to deliver Oklahoma City a much needed road win over a division opponent.
"I thought we stuck with it," Westbrook said. "We got the shots we wanted, we just missed wide open shots. In the fourth, they fell for us."
NOTES:
-- Jazz owner Gail Miller announced Monday afternoon that ownership of the team will be placed in a legacy trust to ensure the club remains in Utah indefinitely. Miller will be the trustee and will be succeeded by a six-member board of managers drawn from her family upon her death.
-- Thunder G Russell Westbrook's 59 career triple-doubles are the most among active NBA players. Oklahoma City is 50-9 in those games.
-- Jazz G Rodney Hood missed his fourth straight game with a bone bruise and hyperextended knee.
-- Thunder C Steven Adams returned to the starting lineup after missing two games with a concussion. Adams had nine points and six rebounds.
-- Utah F Joe Ingles (.450) and G George Hill (.449) are the only teammates to rank in the top 10 in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage. Ingles ranks second, and Hill is third.
