Hill leads Jazz over Lakers
SALT LAKE CITY -- George Hill scored 23 points while Derrick Favors and Rodney Hood added 15 apiece to push the Utah Jazz to a 96-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Rudy Gobert added 13 points and 13 rebounds to notch his second consecutive double-double. The Jazz (1-1) took the season series 3-1 from the Lakers a year ago.
Lou Williams scored 17 points off the bench to lead Los Angeles. Nick Young added 13 points and Luol Deng chipped in 12 to for the Lakers (1-1), who shot just 38.1 percent (32-of-84) from the floor.
Utah overcame 41.3 percent shooting (31-of-75) to rally for the victory in a game that featured 20 lead changes.
Both teams shot at a hot pace and traded baskets throughout the first quarter. The Jazz held a 28-27 edge entering the second quarter fueled in part by a 14-8 advantage with points in the paint.
Los Angeles threatened to pull away after Luol Deng turned a steal into a fast-break dunk to give the Lakers a 42-38 lead. Favors quickly turned the momentum back in Utah's favor with a pair of huge baskets. He made a layup to put the Jazz back in front and then converted a 3-point play -- highlighted by a two-hand slam -- to cap a 9-0 run. It boosted Utah to a 47-42 lead with 2:03 left before halftime.
The Jazz continued to build momentum into the third quarter. They eventually went up 54-43 after Rodney Hood converted a blocked shot by Rudy Gobert into a fast-break dunk.
Los Angeles did not fade away into the night. The Lakers used a 15-3 run -- capped by a steal and slam from Jordan Clarkson and a 3-pointer from Lou Williams on back-to-back possessions -- to take a 65-64 lead with 4.4 seconds to go in the third quarter.
Still trailing 76-72 in the fourth quarter, Utah scored on five consecutive possessions to take control again. Hill buried a 3-pointer to give the Jazz the lead and Joe Johnson buried a floater to cap an 11-0 run and put Utah up 83-76 with 5:18 remaining.
NOTES: Jazz F Derrick Favors made his debut after missing the season opener against the Blazers with knee and IT band soreness. ... Lakers F Julius Randle was one of only nine NBA players who averaged a double-double last season. Randle totaled 34 double-doubles while averaging just 28.2 minutes per game. ... Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Utah has held opponents under 90 points 57 times -- the most of any NBA team. ... Luke Walton is the eighth person to both play and coach for the Lakers.