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 The No. 5 overall pick in last June's draft answered the call,
scoring 15 points on five 3-pointers, and the Jazz snapped a
two-game losing streak by holding off the Milwaukee Bucks for a
101-99 victory at the Bradley Center.
"We didn't have our whole team tonight, but I thought everybody
pulled together," Snyder said. "Dante certainly had a good game and
made some shots early."
Exum's sharpshooting sparked the Jazz offense, which shot 47.5
percent in the first half while connecting on nine 3-pointers. Utah
led by as many as 16 in the second quarter, but a late Bucks rally
cut the margin to six heading into halftime, and Milwaukee rode a
hot start in the third to a 10-point lead.
The Jazz, though, weren't done. Utah nipped away at the deficit and
finally tied the game at 89 on a 3-pointer by forward Joe Ingles
with 6:30 to play. Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward took over in the
fourth.
 Hayward had 11 points through the first three quarters but exploded
over the final 12 minutes. He hit two of three shots from the field
but made his mark at the free-throw line, where he converted nine of
10 attempts. Hayward also pulled down three rebounds and notched two
assists in the final period.
"We escaped," Hayward said. "They had chances at the end. They
stormed back and got a lead on us, but we played really hard
tonight."
Two free throws by Hayward finally put Utah back out front with just
over five minutes left, and his layup at the 3:10 mark made it an
eight-point game.
Milwaukee had one charge left. The Bucks went nearly four minutes
without a basket but snapped the drought on a layup by center Zaza
Pachulia with 2:21 to play. Milwaukee used a 9-0 to make it a
one-possession game after guard Jared Dudley's 3-pointer with 90
seconds left.
However, the Bucks couldn't get any closer, missing their last five
shots, including an open 3-pointer by Giannis Antetokounmpo and a
19-footer by guard Brandon Knight in the closing seconds.
"We got great looks, we just didn't make them," Bucks coach Jason
Kidd said.
Knight and Dudley led Milwaukee with 16 points each. Antetokounmpo
added 13 points, six rebounds and five steals, and shooting guard
O.J. Mayo scored 12 points.
The Bucks shot 45.7 percent for the game and hit of 13 3-pointers
but went to the line just 12 times (making 10) compared to 28
free-throw chances for Utah, which made 23.
The Jazz shot 45.1 percent overall, 14-for-31 (45.2 percent) from
3-point range.
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"We were exchanging baskets, and they made a lot of free throws,"
said Pachulia, who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. "We put
them on the line a lot, and it definitely wasn't good for us."
The free-throw differential, combined with 3-point shooting, helped
the Jazz overcome 22 turnovers that led to 32 points for Milwaukee.
"We didn't shoot ourselves in the foot with the turnovers too many
times," Snyder said. "They're a very, very good defensive team. I
feel like we played hard and we competed, and tonight, we had some
shots fall.
Hayward paced the Jazz with 24 points. Forward Enes Kanter added 23
points and 16 rebounds, and center Rudy Gobert contributed 14 points
and 10 boards.
Reserve point guard Trey Burke added 10 points in 24 minutes off the
bench.
"It's a good win for us," Exum said. "We needed to regain confidence
a bit after those losses. We're strong as a team, and we knew coming
here we needed to get a win."
NOTES: Milwaukee lost for the sixth time in its past seven home
games. ... Utah G Dante Exum, 19, tied Washington's Bradley Beal as
the second-youngest player in NBA history to make five 3-pointers in
a game. ... Bucks G Jerryd Bayless leads the NBA with a .985 free
throw percentage, having made his last 49 attempts. It is the
longest streak by a Bucks player since Michael Redd made 50 in a row
in 2006. He had no attempts against Utah. ... Jazz SG Steve Novak
grew up in the Milwaukee area and played at Bradley Center while at
Marquette University. ... Utah F Gordon Hayward averaged 21 points,
2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals against Milwaukee last season. ... F
Ersan Ilyasova returned to Milwaukee's starting lineup and scored
seven points. He was coming off the bench since returning from a
concussion-related absence a week ago.
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