After a miserable first quarter, the Utah Jazz closed strong and picked up a 114-107 victory over the Orlando Magic Saturday night in Salt Lake City, but it came with a potentially high cost—one possession after he sank a huge corner three, Rodney Hood hyperextended his right knee while driving to the hoop with 1:44 left in the game.
The severity of his injury isn't known, though Hood wasn't able to put any pressure on his leg as he was helped off the floor by teammate Boris Diaw and Jazz trainer Brian Zettler.
Gordon Hayward led the Jazz (26-16) with 23 points, while Rudy Gobert had a monster double-double with 19 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks.
Derrick Favors added 17 points, while Hood and George Hill finished with 14 points each.
Elfrid Payton finished with 28 points (a new career high), nine rebounds and nine assists for Orlando (17-25) in the loss.
Saturday's Best
Hayward consistently made plays for himself and his teammates, leading the team in scoring and also tying Hill with a team-high seven assists. He was efficient shooting the ball (7-for-10 from the field, 7-for-9 from the line) while adding five rebounds and a steal in 38 minutes.
Key Stretches
After allowing a whopping 42 points in the first quarter, the Jazz regrouped in the second. Alec Burks—who hit a mid-range jumper in the closing seconds of the first period—drained Utah's first 3-pointer of the game, then Hill put in a runner and Hood drained a corner three. Diaw snuck inside for a layup, and then Burks hit Diaw with a full-court pass for a layup and free throw to tie the game. A lefty hook shot by Favors gave the Jazz a 46-44 lead just four minutes after they had trailed by 15.
The game stayed close until late in the fourth quarter, when the Jazz caught fire again. After falling behind by five with under four minutes left, Utah went on a 16-2 run to put it away. Hayward was fouled whilst attempting a 3-pointer and made all three free throws, and then he drove into the lane and dished to Favors for a dunk (and free throw) to give the Jazz a one-point lead. After another defensive stop, Hood pushed Utah's lead to four with a corner three. Joe Ingles (who entered the game after Hood's injury) sealed it with two straight 3-pointers.
Significant Stats
26.9
A night after they made 16 3-pointers against the Pistons, the Jazz shot just 7-for-26 (26.9 percent) from behind the arc against the Magic. Hayward and Lyles both missed wide-open looks from deep midway through the fourth quarter that would've given the Jazz a boost, but in the end Utah came through when it mattered most. Three of the team's seven threes—one by Hood and two by Ingles—came in the final two minutes.
28
The Jazz assisted on 28 of their 41 field goals, and six Utah players finished with at least two assists.
Coach's Quote of the Night
Notable
Gobert grabbed 10+ rebounds for the 27th straight game. ... Burks finished with season highs in points (eight), rebounds (six) and minutes (15). ... The Jazz outscored the Magic in the paint 56-46. ... Utah went to the free-throw line 36 times but only converted 25 (69.4 percent). ... The Jazz have now won three straight games.
Up Next
The Jazz will hit the road for a game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT, and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.
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