Jazz 106, Knicks 85
SALT LAKE CITY -- Forward Gordon Hayward personally outscored the New York Knicks in the first quarter and scored a game-high 24 points Wednesday as the Utah Jazz cruised to a 106-85 win.
Hayward, who had 33 points in his only game against the Knicks last season, outscored New York 13-11 in the first 12 minutes. The visitors eventually passed him up, but the Jazz small forward scored 18 in the first half before sitting most of the second half.
Hayward hit 9 of 14 shots and also contributed five assists and four rebounds in 27 minutes.
Forward Carmelo Anthony only scored 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting as the Knicks lost their third straight.
Forward Lou Amundson and guard Sasha Vujacic both scored 10 points and were the only other Knicks players in double figures.
This was the biggest loss of the season for New York, which dropped to 10-13. The Knicks' previous worst margin of defeat came in a 97-78 defeat at home against Miami on Nov. 27.
New York only shot 39.7 percent and was outscored in the paint 42-28. The Jazz shot 48.8 percent from the field, including 9-for-21 from 3-point range.
Center Derrick Favors had a strong outing for Utah, which bounced back from a sluggish 114-106 loss at Sacramento on Tuesday night. Favors finished with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Guard Trey Burke added 15 points and five assists for the Jazz, who improved to 10-10.
The game actually started well for the Knicks.
Rookie Kristaps Porzingis (four points in 13 minutes) gave New York an early 2-0 lead after an offensive rebound kept the team's first possession alive.
It was all Jazz -- and almost all Hayward -- for the rest of the half.
Hayward put Utah up 6-2 with consecutive 3-pointers for the Jazz, who have been hoisting up more deep shots in injured center Rudy Gobert's absence.
And the Jazz didn't stop pouring it on until they had established a 31-point lead in the second quarter.
New York went nearly three minutes between Porzingis's first bucket and the team's second basket at the 8:41 mark. The Knicks then went another two scoreless minutes, falling behind 18-4 after a three-point play by Favors.
Hayward outscored New York by himself in the first quarter, 13-11. The Jazz as a team scored 29 in the opening period and pushed their lead to 31 at 49-18 after yet another Hayward 3-pointer.
New York scored 24 points apiece in the second and third quarters to pull within 23, 82-59, going into the fourth quarter.
Jazz guard Rodney Hood was ejected in the fourth quarter after bumping Vujacic hard while the New York player was on a fast break.
NOTES: This was the first stop in a three-game road trip for the Knicks, who play at Sacramento on Thursday and at Portland on Saturday. "Sometimes being away from home forces you to draw together a little bit more. We're playing in some tough buildings, starting with (Wednesday)," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. ... Fisher played for the Jazz in 2006-07, averaging 10.1 points and 3.3 rebounds as Deron Williams' backup. ... Knicks forward Lou Amundson played in one game for Utah in that same season. ... Utah's next two games are against the Oklahoma City Thunder at home Friday and on the road Sunday. ... The Jazz have been trying to find a defensive answer without injured Rudy Gobert (knee) and 7-footer Jeff Withey is a guy the team hopes will seize that opportunity. "Jeff needs to raise his level defensively just like everyone else," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "He's watched a lot of tape in the last day and a half. He was given us some good things."