The Utah Jazz broke open a tight game with a strong fourth quarter, eventually coming away with an 87-74 win over the Orlando Magic Friday night.
The Jazz (6-4) are now 3-1 on their current road trip, with the final stop set for Saturday night in Miami.
Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 20 points, while Rudy Gobert (13 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, one steal) and Derrick Favors (18 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, two steals) wreaked havoc on the Magic in the paint. Favors even stepped outside and drained his second career 3-pointer for good measure.
Rodney Hood battled a nasty cold to finish with 13 points in the win.
Evan Fournier led the Magic (3-6) with 21 points, and D.J. Augustin added 19 points off the bench.
Friday’s Best
Hayward scored 20+ points for the fourth straight game, finishing with a near triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists) as he led the Jazz to the win. Hayward also went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, making him a perfect 28-for-28 so far this season.
Key Stretch
With the Jazz down by four early in the fourth quarter, Hood scored nine straight Utah points (including a ferocious dunk after he beat his man on an isolation) to kickstart the Jazz’s offense. The result was a 21-4 Utah run to close the game as the Magic missed 12 straight shots (a strech that lasted from the 9:47 mark of the fourth quarter until there were only 45 seconds left in regulation).
Significant Stat
33.3
The Magic shot only 33.3 percent for the game, and the Jazz were even stingier on defense when it counted most, holding Orlando to 14.3 percent (3-for-21) shooting in the fourth quarter.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
“It wasn’t a pretty game, but we got stops when we needed to. … We had a lot of guys who didn’t have their best game, but I thought made plays at opportune times.”
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
The Magic have now lost three straight games. … George Hill (sprained thumb) missed his third straight game. Dante Exum started in his place and scored four points in 22 minutes. Shelvin Mack added nine points off the bench. … The Jazz outrebounded the Magic 52-43.
Up Next
The Jazz will finish their road trip when they take on the Miami Heat on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. MT, and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.
