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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Deron Williams had 24 points and 12 assists and the Utah Jazz snapped a four-game losing streak with a 110-90 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night.
Mehmet Okur scored 20 points and Paul Millsap added 16 points, nine rebounds and tied a career high with seven assists for the Jazz, who capitalized on the Thunder's 24 turnovers.
Kevin Durant had 29 points and 10 rebounds and Russell Westbrook had 20 points but the Thunder couldn't rally after falling behind in the second quarter.
Last time the teams met, the Thunder beat the Jazz 114-93, for the first of five wins in seven games for Oklahoma City -- its best span of the season.
On Friday night, the Jazz stretched their lead to 24 after Mehmet Okur's 3-pointer in the middle of the third quarter but the Thunder whittled the lead back to 13 behind Durant's shooting.
Williams doused any comeback hopes with a scintillating stretch in the fourth quarter. First, he beat the shot clock with a 26-footer and then got a steal on the other end. After a free throw, he gathered another deflection and tossed a perfect alley-oop to Ronnie Brewer for a dunk. The Jazz then led 109-88 and Williams and the starters took a seat on the bench.
Williams, who has never played in an All-Star game and missed the cut again this year, made nine of 13 shots, including three 3-pointers, and had four of Utahs 12 steals.
Brewer and CJ Miles each had 15 points as the jazz avoided their first three-game losing skid at home in two years.
The Thunder outrebounded the Jazz 43-34 and shot better than their season average at 48 percent but they could not overcome their poor defense and sloppy ball handling.
Okur and Matt Harpring both had two baskets in an 11-0 run for the Jazz midway through the second quarter. Harprings layup 7:01 before halftime gave Utah a 43-30 lead. At halftime the Jazz still lead by the same margin at 64-51.
(Notes: The Jazz had 32 assists to the Thunders 14. ... Players from both teams had surgery Friday. Andrei Kirilenko had bone fragments removed from his right ankle and Desmond Mason underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. ... The Thunder made just 2-of-11 3-point attempts. ... Oklahoma Citys 25 turnovers was just one off its season high of 26 against New Orleans on Nov. 21.)
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
