Jazz 102, Hornets 73
SALT LAKE CITY -- Guard Rodney Hood scored 24 points and forward Gordon Hayward added 22 points, and the Utah Jazz bounced back from last week's double-overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets for a commanding 102-73 victory on Wednesday night.
Hood hit 8 of 16 shots, including four from 3-point range, as the Jazz avenged their 124-119 loss on Jan. 18 in Charlotte. Hayward hit 9 of 14 shots and grabbed seven rebounds in the win.
Utah improved to 20-25 and moved into a three-way tie for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.
Guard Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 15 points. That was a very quiet night compared to the franchise-high 52 points he threw in against the Jazz last week in Charlotte.
Guard Brian Roberts was the only other Charlotte player to hit double figures. He scored 13.
This was the ninth loss in a row in Utah for the Hornets, who dropped to 22-24.
The defeat could prove to be costly for Charlotte. Guard Jeremy Lin went down in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle and did not return. The Hornets were already missing four players because of injuries.
Utah used a 20-2 run in the first half to establish control of the game. The Jazz led 43-31 at halftime and were never challenged in the second half.
Forward Derrick Favors scored 12 points in his second game back from an extended absence due to a back injury. He didn't start as he had been before the injury, but he played 20 minutes.
Guard Trey Burke scored 11 points and forward Chris Johnson added 10 points for the Jazz.
Guard Erick Green made his first appearance in a Jazz uniform after signing a 10-day contract Monday. He scored four points with an assist and a rebound.
The Jazz continue their longest homestand of the season, a six-gamer, Friday against Minnesota. Charlotte continues its four-game Western trek Friday at Portland.
NOTES: Jazz G Rodney Hood and G Raul Neto were both invited to participate in the rookie/sophomore Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Toronto. "I think it is a pure positive," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "I would have liked to see Trey Lyles in there too. I am happy for those guys and I hope they just enjoy it." ... Neto passed each step of the NBA's concussion protocol in time to play Wednesday. He was hit in the head by teammate Rudy Gobert's elbow early in Monday's game and had been listed as out. ... Hornets coach Steve Clifford pointed out that his team is in a stretch in which it is playing 17 games in 31 days. "At the end of the day, you need your energy for game night, so it is definitely affecting how much we practice," he said ... The Hornets were missing four players to injury: C Cody Zeller (shoulder), G Jeremy Lamb (toe), C Al Jefferson (knee) and F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (shoulder).