SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Jazz didn't have to wait long to avenge a painful loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

Nine days after a double-overtime defeat in Charlotte, guard Rodney Hood scored 24 points and forward Gordon Hayward added 22 points to lead the Jazz to a commanding 102-73 victory over the Hornets on Wednesday night.

"We played really well defensively, especially because we owed this team after the way we played in Charlotte," Hayward said. "We let Kemba Walker have a career night and tonight I am proud of us for holding him to 15 points and really kind of controlling the whole game."

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.

"We knew we had a chance to win the last game," Hood said. "It is about moving on and we came out with the energy on the defensive end and it carried over to the offensive end. It was just a good night for us."

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.

"Listen, whatever it is, the travel, the schedule, whatever. We didn't have the energy level we normally have," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "You're not going to be able to play well when you don't have energy in this league."

This was the ninth loss in a row in Utah for the Hornets, who dropped to 22-24.

"Too many mistakes on our end," Walker said. "We turned the ball over a lot. I even thought we had some pretty good shots, but we missed them. We could just not get over the hump."

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.

"I feel good after this one," Favors said. "No pain. No stiffness. I feel good."

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).