PHILADELPHIA -- The Utah Jazz rode their defense to a strong finish in the 2014-15 season, and on Friday night they used it to earn their first victory of this season.

Forward Derrick Favors had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Jazz limited the Philadelphia 76ers to 30.2-percent shooting en route to a 99-71 victory.

Guard Rodney Hood scored 17 points and guard Alec Burks notched 15 off the bench for Utah (1-1). Center Rudy Gobert, a native of France known as the "Stifle Tower," had eight points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots.

"I think we came out tonight with a different focus (than in a season-opening loss to Detroit)," Gobert said. "We played hard, communicated and played 48 minutes of great defense."

The Jazz went 21-11 at the end of last season, after Gobert became the starter in the middle. Friday's game marked the fifth time since the beginning of '14-15 that he had at least six blocks. The only NBA player with more such games in that span is New Orleans' Anthony Davis, who has eight.

"Like coach (Quin Snyder) says all the time, defense travels," Gobert said. "Even when we have a bad night offensively, we know that when we play defense we still can win the games."

The Jazz shot just 40.5 percent from the floor, but forced 19 turnovers, leading to 20 Utah points.

"Our players were really focused," Snyder said. "There's just things they've been working on and committing to. I saw them connect with some of those things tonight. It was good to see."

Two reserves, guard/forward Nik Stauskas and forward Jerami Grant, notched 12 points apiece to lead Philadelphia (0-2), which trailed by as many as 31 points late in the game.

Sixers center Jahlil Okafor, the third pick of this year's draft, had 10 points and six rebounds in his first home game.

"We cannot play slow, as good as Jahlil is," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "The offense is the problem. It's something that I think needs to be cleaned up on our end."

Okafor scored 26 points in his debut against Boston on Wednesday night, but on Friday he missed eight of 12 shots while being guarded by Favors and later Gobert.

"I did all right," Okafor said. "I'm worried more about the team and what we need to do to be able to win."

He said the Sixers' overall effort was "just part of the growing pains."

"We're a young team," he added. "We have guys hurt. ... Just trying not to get too high, not to get too low and just trust the process, as we always say, and try to get this thing going."

Burks contributed four points in a 13-0 Utah flurry midway through the first quarter, erasing a 12-11 deficit, then had a four-point play in an 18-4 run by the Jazz early in the second quarter, when they went up 46-27.

Utah's lead was 50-33 at the half, at which point Burks had 12 points and Favors had chipped in eight points and six rebounds.

Okafor had eight points to top the Sixers, who shot just 34.5 percent from the floor in the first two quarters.

The Jazz then held Philadelphia scoreless for the first 5:16 of the third quarter, while reeling off 13 points themselves, to go up 63-33. Gobert had a pair of blocks, as well as a thunderous dunk off a lob from Raul Neto, in that stretch.

Stauskas sank a 3-pointer with 6:44 left in the quarter for Philadelphia's first points of the second half. The Sixers were never closer than 20 the rest of the way.

NOTES: Earlier in the day the Sixers exercised the fourth-year contract option on C/F Nerlens Noel, as well as the third-year options on G/F Nik Stauskas and C Joel Embiid. ... Stauskas, acquired in the offseason from Sacramento, returned after missing Wednesday's opener in Boston with back spasms, and the entire preseason with a stress reaction of the right tibia. ... The Sixers continue to be without G Tony Wroten and G Kendall Marshall, who are recovering from offseason knee surgery, as well as F Robert Covington (knee sprain) and F Carl Landry (torn wrist ligaments). ... Utah is without G Dante Exum, who also underwent offseason knee surgery. ... Jazz F Trevor Booker returned after serving a one-game suspension for striking Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert with an open hand in the preseason. Booker had two points and three rebounds in nearly 18 minutes off the bench.