SALT LAKE CITY -- Boos once greeted the news that Gordon Hayward would be joining the Utah Jazz. Now Hayward has turned that pessimism on its head as the franchise's newest NBA All-Star.

Hayward found out hours before the Thursday night game against the Los Angeles Lakers that he would be one of seven reserves on the Western Conference All-Star roster. He is the first Utah player to be selected to an All-Star team since 2011.

"I've been working for the past six years to try to get there," Hayward said. "To see it finally happen is rewarding."

Hayward gave the Lakers a taste of how he got there. He scored 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting to help the Jazz pull away for a 96-88 victory. Many of his baskets served to fuel critical runs for Utah during the second half.

In the third quarter, Hayward fueled a decisive 16-0 run with a 3-pointer and back-to-back dunks -- the second one an alley-oop slam set up off a steal by Joe Ingles. Then, in the fourth quarter, he made critical free throws down the stretch after Los Angeles trimmed Utah's lead to a couple of baskets.

Those types of plays are exactly what helped Hayward build a solid case for being an NBA All-Star this season.

"That was a goal that he set," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of Hayward becoming an All-Star. "Any time you see someone commit and work toward achieving a goal, it's satisfying for everyone."

George Hill added 12 points and Rudy Gobert chipped in nine points, 13 rebounds and a season-high six blocked shots for the Jazz. Utah (30-18) snapped a two-game losing streak and swept the four-game season series with Los Angeles for the first time.

Lou Williams scored 20 points while Jordan Clarkson and Ivica Zubac added 16 apiece to lead the Lakers. Los Angeles (16-34) lost for the eighth time in nine games.

Lakers coach Luke Walton said Utah's experience in closing out tight games ultimately stunted his team's efforts to get back ahead in the fourth quarter.

"(The Jazz) went through the hard times that we're going through now," Walton said. "We can see they don't get rattled by it. They make those plays at the end of games now."

The Jazz wasted no time surging in front early. Utah scored 10 unanswered points, culminating in a thunderous dunk from Gobert, to take a 10-2 lead.

Los Angeles cut the deficit to 14-12 on a pair of 3-pointers from Young. Utah answered with a 9-2 run -- fueled by back-to-back baskets from Alec Burks -- to extend its lead to 23-14 in the final minute of the opening quarter.

Los Angeles uncorked another rally. The Lakers took a 29-27 lead on back-to-back baskets from Larry Nance Jr. and Zubac. However, Utah surged back ahead on a corner 3-pointer from Burks and a put-back layup from Gobert. The Jazz built back to an eight-point lead, going up 41-33 on a driving layup from Boris Diaw with 3:13 left before halftime.

Utah could not dig a bigger hole for Los Angeles, though, because of poor shooting. The Jazz shot just 7 of 22 (31.8 percent) from the field in the second quarter.

It opened the door for another Lakers rally. Los Angeles surged ahead behind a trio of baskets from Timofey Mozgov. His final one, a dunk, put the Lakers up 56-52. Utah did not trail for long.

The Jazz raced back in front behind an 16-0 run fueled by several baskets from Hayward. Ingles capped it all off with a 3-pointer, giving Utah a 68-56 lead with 1:04 remaining in the third quarter.

"We went dry," Nance said. "Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Our offense just wasn't clicking for us tonight."

Los Angeles twice cut it to four in the fourth quarter, the second time on a steal and layup from Clarkson that trimmed Utah's lead to 85-81 with 2:27 left. Hill buried his only 3-pointer of the night on the other end to stop the Lakers from closing the gap further.

Hayward and Diaw each added a pair of free throws to put Utah up 93-82 with 1:04 remaining.

"That's where the experience comes into play," Hayward said. "We've been in those situations before, and this year we're learning how to be more successful. Those things help at the end of games -- staying calm, staying poised and finishing them out."

NOTES: Lakers F Brandon Ingram leads Los Angeles in minutes played (1,393) and led all NBA rookies in minutes per game (27.9). ... Utah C Rudy Gobert leads the NBA in total blocks (124). Gobert has recorded at least one block in a league-best 45 games and at least three blocks in a league-leading 26 games. ... Lakers G Lou Williams has scored in double figures in 47 of the 50 games he has played this season. ... Utah matched its season low with eight turnovers.