Gordon Hayward led an improbable charge as the Utah Jazz knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers 86-85 at Staples Center on Tuesday, just days after the champs had no problem pulling aces in Salt Lake City. Hayward, the rookie out of Butler who has struggled all season, dropped 22 points on the Lakers, including 10 in the fourth quarter. He came up big in the clutch, facing off against the league's best supposed closer in Kobe Bryant.
Jazz Vs. Lakers: Gordon Hayward, Utah Edge Kobe Bryant, L.A.
Hayward laughed in the face of that challenge, drawing a foul on Bryant on the Jazz’s last possession to give Utah a one-point edge; with six seconds left at the other end, Kobe fumbled the ball away and couldn’t get a shot up. Most surprising about Hayward’s game, though, wasn’t his steely reserve; he showed plenty of that at Butler last season. Hayward showed a real ability to make good passes in traffic after the Lakers defense converged on his penetration moves. That’s a facet I hadn’t seen this season, and it bodes well for his transition from bit reserve to featured scorer, if that’s where this is headed.
In part because Hayward has been inconsistent this season, Tyrone Corbin relied on a three-big lineup again, using Paul Millsap at small forward and Al Jefferson and Derrick Favors up front. Millsap and Favors thrived; the burly veteran had 22 points on 7-18 shooting (though he was blocked eight times) and Favors had a solid 14 points and 11 rebounds. On the other end, it couldn't stop Andrew Bynum, who feasted on a career-high 23 rebounds, seven on offense. The triple-big lineup isn't supposed to allow that to happen.
Kobe for the game, by the way, had 20 points on 6-18 shooting and seven turnovers.
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