After three days off, the Jazz had a spring in their collective step Monday night, jumping out to an early lead and coasting to a 110-89 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
The Suns (12-18) were on the second leg of a back-to-back set after losing to Milwaukee on Sunday.
Gordon Hayward scored a team-high 24 points for the Jazz (12-14), while Derrick Favors added 18 points and nine rebounds in the win.
Rodney Hood (14 points) and Alec Burks (13 points) also scored in double figures for Utah.
Eric Bledsoe, who leads Phoenix in scoring at 21.8 points per game, had one of his worst games of the season, finishing with eight points on 2-for-10 shooting.
Brandon Knight, who came off the bench for the first time this season, led the Suns with a game-high 26 points. Mirza Teletovic added 17 points (on 5-for-6 shooting, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range) in 21 minutes off the bench in the loss.
Highlights
Monday’s Best
Hayward was (as usual) the spark that got Utah going. He got the scoring started with a corner three, and then … hit a pull-up in the lane; swatted a layup attempt by rookie Devin Booker; assisted on a 3-pointer by Hood and a jumper by Favors; sank a technical free throw; and put in two contested runners at the rim. Hayward scored 12 of his 24 points in the first quarter and added three rebounds, four assists, two steals and the one block. He also had a net rating of +24.
Key Stretch(es)
The Jazz dominated the first four minutes of each half. They jumped out to a 14-2 lead in the first quarter (thanks in large part to two 3-pointers by Hood and another by Hayward) and then, after leading 54-43 at the half, they went on a 11-0 run to open the third quarter and take a 22-point lead. The Suns went on a few small runs here and there throughout the game, but they were never able to get close thanks to the cushion the Jazz built early on.
Significant Stat
The Jazz took care of the basketball Monday night, committing only 11 turnovers (which led to only four point for the Suns). On the other hand, the Jazz forced 16 Phoenix turnovers and turned those into 23 points.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
“We played good. I mean, we’re going to play bad sometimes, we’re going to play good sometimes. Hopefully we play good more often than we play bad. Our guys were focused–that’s the main thing.”
–Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
Trey Lyles finished with six points, seven rebounds and a net rating of +17 in 25 minutes. … After a Phoenix miss with three seconds left in the first half, Burks grabbed the ball, sprinted down the court and sank a mid-range runner to beat the buzzer. … Trevor Booker (nine points, eight rebounds) put the exclamation point on the victory with a steal and double-pump breakaway slam with 3:05 left in the game. … Less than a minute later, Burks drove into the lane, rose up above the rim and literally threw the ball down through the cylinder over Phoenix’s Jon Leuer, sending the crowd into a frenzy at the end of a blowout win.
The Jazz will hit the road for a game Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.
