Jazz 112, Bobcats 102: Al Jefferson scored 14 of his game-high 26 points in the third quarter as Utah cruised in the opener of a three-game road trip.

Jefferson shot 11-for-15 from the field while adding eight rebounds for the Jazz, who shot 53.7 percent from the field. Paul Millsap scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half while Gordon Hayward hit four 3-pointers off the bench as part of a 14-point performance.

Ben Gordon scored 20 points in a reserve role while rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Bobcats, who fell to 2-15 against Western Conference foes.

Utah broke open a close game with an 18-2 run spanning 3 1/2 minutes of the second quarter. Hayward kicked it off with a 3-pointer just past the midway point of the frame, and his wide-open 26-footer from the top of the arc with 1:15 remaining helped send the Jazz into the break with a 63-44 advantage.

Charlotte closed within 12 on a Kemba Walker 3-pointer with 4:52 remaining in the third, but Jefferson responded with a pair of three-point plays that helped put Utah in front 90-73 entering the fourth. After a Bobcats push early in the final quarter trimmed the Jazz lead to 11, Hayward promptly knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the night and Charlotte didn't threaten the rest of the way.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Jazz were without SF Marvin Williams, who will sit out the entire three-game trek with right knee inflammation. DeMarre Carroll started in his place and finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes. ... Kidd-Gilchrist was 7-for-11 from the field after shooting a combined 6-for-20 in the first two games of his return from a scratched cornea. ... Walker, Ramon Sessions and Gerald Henderson each poured in 14 points in defeat.