SEATTLE — Word is already getting around the league on how to stymie Kevin Durant: the more Seattle's lanky second overall draft pick stays outside, the more an equally tall defender jumps out to keep his nose in the skinny teenager's chest.
Utah's Andrei Kirilenko used that approach to hold Durant to 7-for-21 shooting and blocked Durant's attempt at a game-tying shot in the lane with three seconds remaining to help the Jazz hold on to beat the winless SuperSonics 103-101 on Friday night, Seattle's franchise record-tying sixth consecutive loss to begin the season.
Carlos Boozer scored the go-ahead basket over Durant with 17.6 seconds left and finished with 27 points — 22 in the second half. Boozer also had 15 rebounds for his sixth double-double in six games for Utah, which won for the third time in four games and now heads home to face Memphis and Sacramento.
Jeff Green, the fifth overall pick, had an early career-high 19 points off the bench while continually slashing to the basket and recklessly banging into bigger bodies for the Sonics, who are starting their 41st and perhaps their final season in Seattle in a way that has many locals wishing they were already gone.
They must defeat rugged, playoff-tested Detroit at home Sunday night to avoid setting a dubious team mark to begin a season.