If we had reached the end of the NBA campaign on Thursday night instead of the end of 2009 then Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks would have to be getting serious consideration for NBA Coach Of The Year. Brooks has taken a team that has been a perennial cellar dweller for the last few years and turned them into one of the true “Feel Good” stories of this NBA season. Thursday night marked another huge step in the growth curve of the club as they squeezed by Division rivals the Utah Jazz by a final score of 87-86. OKC guard Nick Collison would win the contest in the closing seconds by knocking down a pair at the line.

The win gives Oklahoma City an 18-14 record tied with Utah in the NBA Northwest Division. They also now trail Division leaders the Denver Nuggets by just 2 games. Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder as he knocked down a game high 31 points in the victory. Durant has now tied a team record by scoring 30 or more points in 6 consecutive contests.  The win was the fifth straight for Oklahoma City who are starting to gain some national attention.

This game would remain tight through out the night and truly was decided in the closing seconds. The Jazz would draw first blood as they held a slim 24-22 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Momentum would shift slightly in the second and the Thunder would hold that same slim lead as they would head into the locker room at the half on top 48-46.

Although Utah would tie the score at 54-54 when Deron Williams knocked down an outside shot with 6:18 left in the third the Jazz would never hold the lead in the period. Oklahoma City would lead at the end of the quarter with the score 65-62.

It came down to this in the fourth; with 58 seconds left in regulation and the Thunder on top 85-83 Deron Williams knocked down a shot 9 feet from the basket. The Utah guard was fouled on the play hit his shot at the line and his team was ahead 86-85. With just 4 seconds remaining Nick Collison drew a loose ball foul at the expense of Paul Millsap. Collison drained each shot and the Thunder ended the year on a winning note.

Kevin Durant led the way for his team as he scored 31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal while Jeff Green added 12 points and 5 rebounds. Nick Collison came off the bench and  had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal while Nenad Krstic put up 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Carlos Boozer would put 17 points on the board, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the Jazz loss. Deron Williams scored 14 points, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 rebound and 1 steal Wesley Matthews came off the bench and added 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal. Mehmet Okur had a double-double as he knocked down 11 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. Oklahoma City now sits at 18-14 and will play in Milwaukee Saturday against the Bucks while Utah also at 18-14 will host the Denver Nuggets Saturday.

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