Hayward’s Three Clinches Jazz’s 78-73 Win Over Magic

The Utah Jazz picked up their first win of the Orlando Pro Summer League, holding off a late surge by the Orlando Magic to win, 78-73. Rookie Gordon Hayward made the key basket, a three-pointer from the right wing to give the Jazz a 74-70 lead with 30.2 seconds to play. He finished with a team-high 14 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor. Second-year center Kosta Koufos added 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots in a solid effort for the Jazz, playing a key role in neutralizing the Magic’s big men.

Combo forward Patrick Ewing Jr. flourished in defeat for Orlando, scoring a game-high 17 points on a crisp 7-of-12 shooting. Paul Davis added 13 off the bench, doing most of his damage from the foul line, where he shot 9-of-11. For the second straight day, Magic big man Daniel Orton, the 29th overall pick in this year’s draft, struggled. He scored 2 points and missed all 6 of his shot attempts, and had just 2 rebounds and 1 block in 17 minutes. He lost playing time to Davis down the stretch, and with good reason: Davis was key in Orlando’s comeback, as they erased an 18-point deficit in the first half to take a one-point lead off a Ewing three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, their first lead this week. It was short-lived, and Utah ultimately prevailed.

The Magic also got a positive contribution from Ben McCauley. The floppy-haired, jump-shooting power forward tallied 7 points, 5 rebounds, and an assist, working primarily at the top of the key.