Hayward's 30 help Jazz start road trip with win
NEW YORK -- Gordon Hayward scored 13 of his 30 points in the third quarter and the Utah Jazz overcame a sluggish start, opening a five-game road trip with a 101-89 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Rodney Hood added eight of his 15 points in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter for Utah. Rudy Gobert collected 15 and 16 rebounds for his 24th double-double and Shelvin Mack contributed 15 points in place of George Hill (concussion-like symptoms).
Trevor Booker led the Nets with 17 points and 15 rebounds. He achieved his 11th double-double of the season by halftime but did not score and had one rebound in the fourth quarter.
Brook Lopez was 6 of 16 from the field and added 14 points for the Nets (8-25), who lost for the 20th time in their last 24 games since Nov. 12.
Before coming alive late in the third quarter, the Jazz missed 10 of their first 11 shots from the floor in the quarter and faced a 62-53 deficit with 5:20 remaining.
About a minute later, Hayward hit a 20-footer and then added a 3-pointer with 2:03 left before making four free throws and finishing the quarter with another 3-pointer.
Those points sent the game into a 70-70 tie entering the fourth quarter and the Jazz took the lead for good early in the fourth while Hayward sat.
A layup by Hood gave the Jazz their first double-digit lead with 6:11 remaining, but the Nets were within 89-83 a minute later. With 4:43 left, Bojan Bogdanovic missed a deep 3-pointer and on the next possession Hayward hit a baseline layup for a 91-83 lead.
A putback dunk by Lopez cut it to 91-86, but Mack hit a floater and Hayward made a running eight-footer in the lane with 2:27 left for a 95-87 edge.
The Jazz then finished it off when Hayward went around a Gobert screen, drove halfway through the lane and found Joe Johnson for an uncontested 3-pointer with 1:41 remaining.
NOTES: Utah G Alec Burks made his season debut after missing the first 34 games rehabbing his left ankle and other leg injuries. In the previous two seasons, Burks missed a combined 106 games. Before Monday, Burks had appeared in three games since Dec. 26, 2015. ... Nets G Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) missed his third straight game and 21st game overall. Lin spoke before Monday's game and said while he does not know when his return date will be, the hamstring hurts less than his first left hamstring strain on Nov. 2. Lin also said he has begun shooting and his strengthening is progressing quicker. ... Utah G Dante Exum (left knee tendinitis) missed his sixth straight game and coach Quin Snyder said Exum will be re-evaluated later this week. ... Utah F Joe Johnson made his first appearance in Brooklyn after the Nets bought him out of his contract Feb. 25. He was given a video tribute during the game with highlights of his game-winning shots.