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 Forward Gordon Hayward scored 18 of his 22 points in the second
half, and backup point guard Trey Burke added 17 points, leading the
Jazz to an 80-73 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples
Center.
Hayward made five of 10 shots from the floor and 11 of 13 free
throws. Forward Derrick Favors added 14 points and seven rebounds
for the Jazz, who won for the 10th time in 12 games. Favors, who
also had highlight-reel rejection of a dunk attempt by Lakers rookie
center Tarik Black, scored in double digits for the 24th consecutive
contest.
"I think we just found a way to win after an emotional night for us
last night," said Hayward, referring to Utah's 88-84 setback to the
Washington Wizards. "Late night, guys probably didn't get that much
sleep. Sluggish first half, (but) we grinded it out to make
defensive plays when we needed to, and offensively guys were pretty
good down the stretch, too. I thought it was a great win for a young
team."
Black scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Lakers,
who dropped their fourth in a row. Forwards Wesley Johnson and
Carlos Boozer had 12 and 11 points, respectively.
"We had a couple of letdowns," said Black, who shot 6-for-12 from
the field. "We had a couple of turnovers, missed a few rebounds,
missed a few assignments on defense. When that happens, the game
slips away, especially late in the game."
Los Angeles (17-50) reached the 50-loss plateau in back-to-back
seasons for the first time in franchise history.
A dunk by Favors gave the Jazz a 70-69 lead with 4:15 remaining in
the game, and they never trailed again. Utah (31-37) never led by
more than seven down the stretch, but that was more than enough to
keep the Lakers at bay.
"At the beginning of the fourth quarter, you looked in the huddle
and we looked like a team that got in at 2 in the morning and had
lost a tough game," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "We talked about
it, and our guys just picked it up. It's the kind of thing a more
mature team does, and I think we're growing in that respect."
Hayward scored nine points in the third as the Jazz took a 58-55
lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lakers closed the second quarter with a 14-2 run for a 36-33
advantage at intermission. Utah got a 3-pointer from Burke with 8:18
left in the second but managed just a free throw by Favors and
another one by Hayward the rest of the period.
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Burke scored 11 of the team's 15 second-quarter points and hit four
of the team's five field goals. Utah shot 35.5 percent from the
floor in the first half compared to 42.1 percent for the Lakers. The
Jazz connected on six of 15 3-pointers to one of four for the
Lakers.
Both clubs struggled from the start. Los Angeles held an 18-16 lead
after one period, managing just 38.1 percent shooting to 37.5
percent for the Jazz. Overall, both clubs hit 40.3 percent of their
shots. The Jazz made nine of 25 3-pointers, while the Lakers hit
three of 11.
"They tightened up a little bit defensively, we didn't move it as
well as we could have, but it's the same story that I've been
telling the guys," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "If we don't trust
each other and move the ball and do all of the little things that we
have to do, then it's a struggle."
The Lakers, though, had a commanding 46-22 edge in points in the
paint. They also had a 15-0 advantage on second-chance points, but
it mattered little.
The game featured 17 lead changes.
NOTES: The Jazz are the hottest club in the NBA since the All-Star
break, compiling a league-best 12-3 mark. C Rudy Gobert has been a
big reason, averaging 14.9 rebounds, 10.3 points and 2.8 blocks
before Thursday's game. However, he finished with just three points,
seven rebounds and three blocks against the Lakers. ... The Lakers
are 4-10 since the break, but each of their losses was by single
digits. ... The teams split their last two meetings, with the Lakers
winning the previous one 100-97 at Utah, ending an 11-game road
skid. ... The Jazz visit the Golden State Warriors on Saturday,
while the Lakers host the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.
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