National Basketball Association
Utah 87, Orlando 74
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, November 11, 2016
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Officials: #3 Nick Buchert, #32 Marat Kogut, #9 Derrick Stafford
Attendance: 18846

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz believe they are ready to take the next step.

They look ready, too.

Hayward had 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists Friday night in leading the Jazz to an 87-74 victory over the Orlando Magic, punctuating the win with an impressive, defensive stand in the final period.

That's the way the good teams do it.

"There is a different feeling this season," Hayward said. "I think we're ready to go to the next level. I am, and the team is, too. It's all about winning games, then everything else follows."

The Jazz (6-4) outscored the Magic, 27-10, in the fourth period, winning for the third time in four tries on this road trip.

Hayward, who missed the first six games of the season with a broken finger, has scored at least 20 points in all four games he has played.

He has not averaged 20 points in any of his first six NBA seasons. The Jazz have not been to the playoffs since 2012. Both of those benchmarks look attainable this season.

"We have much higher expectations for ourselves this season," Hayward said. "We added some veterans, some depth, that has created a winning vibe here. I think we're ready."

Jazz center Rudy Gobert had 13 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots and forward Derrick Favors scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Rodney Hood scored 13 points, including 11 in the fourth when he sparked their late charge.

"We had a lot of guys who didn't have their best game, but I thought they made big plays at opportune times," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "That's a good sign."

Hood looked sluggish through much of the game. He was suffering from a sinus infection, but he rose above it in the fourth quarter.

"My team needed me," Hood said. "They said just give us a boost when you can, and that's what I did. This was a big win for us. It showed what we can do, even when we aren't feeling great."

The Magic (3-6) were led Evan Fournier with 21 points and reserve D.J. Augustin had 19 points in 24 minutes. Aaron Gordon, playing as a reserve for the first time this season, had nine points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. Center Nikola Vucevic, who has been their most reliable scorer the past three seasons, made only two of 12 shots for four points.

The Magic, who were smothered down the stretch, made only 3 of 21 shots in the fourth quarter. Part of it was poor shooting. Part of it was good defense. They lost their third consecutive game.

"We just hit a dry spell," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "We had some good looks that didn't go down. We've got to keep grinding out there. We had the effort, but we've got to keep working."

Hood, who made only one of seven shots in the first three periods, sparked the Jazz to a 75-71 lead midway in the fourth when he scored seven points in a three-minute stretch.

"We had sparks here and there, but nothing consistent," Vucevic said. "We just struggled to find any offensive rhythm."

The Magic led 64-60 going into the final period after the lead changed hands seven times in the third. The game changed dramatically in the fourth.

The Jazz led 42-38 at halftime, riding another good start from Hayward, who had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists by intermission.

The Jazz led by as many as nine points in the first period when Gobert scored seven points.

The Magic opened the second period with an 8-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Augustin. They built a 34-27 lead, but failed to hold it when they missed seven consecutive shots.

The Jazz were more aggressive early, holding a 27-17 edge in rebounds in the first two periods.

Magic forward Jeff Green started his first start of the season, replacing Aaron Gordon, who played well in a reserve role in the first half. Jazz point guard Dante Exum also got his first start, replacing Shelvin Mack, who had started the past two games in place of injured George Hill.

NOTES: Jazz G George Hill, who started the season as the first Western Conference Player of the Week, missed his third consecutive game with a sprained right thumb. Hill played his previous four seasons in Indiana for coach Frank Vogel, now the Magic coach. "He's one of the nicest people I've ever been around," Vogel said. ... The Magic have struggled early in games this season, falling behind by double figures in the first half of six of the previous seven games. "If I could put my finger on it, then it wouldn't continue to snowball like it has," Vogel said. ... Magic G Evan Fournier, who is French, hosted Utah F Boris Diaw and C Rudy Gobert, also from France, at his home for dinner Thursday night. ... Diaw, a 34-year-old forward, missed his sixth consecutive game with a bone bruise in his right leg. ... The Magic lost the previous two games (to Chicago and Minnesota) by a combined 48 points. ... They came into the night shooting just 30.6 percent from 3-point range, down from 35 percent last season. ... It looked like international night at the Amway Center Friday. The Jazz have a league-high seven international players on the roster and the Magic are tied for second with six.
Top Game Performances
 
Utah   Orlando
Gordon Hayward 20 Scoring Evan Fournier 21
Gordon Hayward 8 Assists Evan Fournier 4
Rudy Gobert 13 Rebounds Bismack Biyombo 8
Gordon Hayward 6 Free Throws Made Evan Fournier 5
Derrick Favors 3 Steals Evan Fournier 3
Rudy Gobert 3 Blocks Bismack Biyombo 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Utah 87 40.7 7-28 14-16 19 52 7 9 15
Orlando 74 33.3 8-20 14-19 13 43 6 11 12
Upcoming Games
  • Orlando will play their next game on the road against Oklahoma City. The Magic have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .200 after a loss.
  • Utah will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Jazz have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .800 after a loss.