This one was over just minutes after tipoff as the Jazz raced out to a big first-half lead and cruised to a 106-85 victory over the New York Knicks Wednesday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Gordon Hayward scored a game-high 24 points (in 24 minutes) while Derrick Favors added 20 points and eight rebounds. Trey Burke (15 points) and Alec Burks (10 points) scored in double figures off the bench.
Rookie Trey Lyles, who started for the third straight game, grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in the win.
Carmelo Anthony had a team-high 12 points for the Knicks as only three New York players scored in double figures (Sasha Vujacic and Lou Amundson–who sent the fans home happy when he missed two straight free throws in the fourth quarter–finished with 10 points each).
Wednesday’s Best
Hayward got things rolling for the Jazz, hitting two 3-pointers on Utah’s first two possessions of the game and scoring 13 of his 24 points in the first quarter. Hayward finished with an efficient line–9-for-14 from the field (including 4-for-4 from 3-point range) and 2-for-2 from the line, four rebounds, five assists and one steal–and it was the fourth time in five games that he’s scored 20+ points.
Key Stretch
Kristaps Porzingis (who finished with only four points) scored the first bucket of the game for the Knicks … and then things didn’t go well for New York as the Jazz went on an 18-2 run. Hayward hit two straight threes. Raul Neto made a 3-pointer. Favors drilled two jumpers from the free-throw line and then converted a three-point play, throwing down a two-handed dunk over Robin Lopez and then sinking the free throw. The Jazz didn’t let up and led by as many as 33 points in the second half. The Knicks went 5-for-23 (21.7 percent) from the field in the first quarter, and it didn’t get much better as the game went on.
Significant Stat
The Jazz committed only one turnover in the first half (and it didn’t even lead to any New York points). That ball security, as well as their 50 percent shooting, helped the Jazz take a 60-35 lead into the break.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
“Gordon, to me, whether he’s scoring a lot early in the game or what not, it’s just about him making the right decisions. … I think he’s making the right reads and, as a result, he’s playing with a lot of certainty. It’s instinctive, and I think that’s why you’re seeing him shoot the ball with such confidence.”
–Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
Rodney Hood was ejected with 3:01 left in the game after he threw a shoulder into Vujacic, who went sprawling into the padding under the basket. … The Jazz shot 9-for-21 (42.9 percent) from 3-point range. … Utah outscored New York 42-28 in the paint. … The Jazz had a 51-36 edge on the boards. … Three Jazz players (Hayward, Burke and Neto) finished with a team-high five assists.
Up Next
The Jazz will stay at home to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.
