Hayward finished with 28 points (on only seven shots!), and he didn’t miss until late in the fourth quarter-he had gone 6-for-6 from the field (including two 3-pointers) and 11-for-11 from the line when he missed a free throw with 2:14 left.
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The loss knocked the Rockets to a half-game behind the Jazz for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Jason Terry hit a 3-pointer with less than 11 seconds to play to force overtime. All-Star guard James Harden is averaging 32.8 points over the last four games and he has twice reached 30 against the Jazz this season, averaging 31.5 points in the two victories. “It’s about us continuing to fight and play the right way”. “I thought our defense was great, despite us missing shots early in the game”, center Dwight Howard told reporters. Rodney Hood made a couple of tough threes off of the dribble. “We still played defense”.
The Rockets clearly have a chemistry issue on and off the court. Favors and the Utah Jazz will receive the day off before taking on the Spurs on Friday.
The Jazz led for most of the overtime session but couldn’t quite shake the Rockets.
On Tuesday morning in shootaround, Jazz players spoke of the opportunity that lies ahead. Burke checked in with 11:25 left in the second quarter.
Magic 124, 76ers 115: Nikola Vucevic scored a season-high 35 points against his former team, leading Orlando to the road victory. Snyder indicated before the game that he’d like to stick to one starting lineup down the stretch.
In the second half, though, the Jazz only turned the ball over six times, which led to seven Houston points. “It really had nothing to do with matchups”, Bickerstaff said. We figured we needed a guy in that first group who can be a facilitator.
“A year ago we would have definitely lost this game in the fourth quarter”, Booker said. “We just keep getting better and we’re learning from our mistakes”.
The Portland Trail Blazers extended their winning streak to sixth-consecutive games thanks to a 112-104 victory against the Brooklyn Nets.
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The Jazz host the Spurs on Thursday.
