And the beat goes on for Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz.

G-Time totaled 40 points—18 in Friday’s 84-81 win over the Milwaukee Bucks and 22 in Saturday’s 98-89 victory over the Phoenix Suns—as the Jazz extended their season-long win streak to six with just two games remaining before the All-Star break.

Utah Jazz v Phoenix Suns

The stellar defensive play continued for Salt Lake City crew. The Jazz haven’t allowed an opponent to hit triple digits in regulation since the Sacramento Kings tallied 103 on Jan. 14. Utah knows it isn’t an offensive juggernaut, but its elite defense always gives it chances to win.

“I don’t think we played our best basketball tonight,” Gordon said Friday. “We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we would’ve liked. We turned it over too much. But we found a way to win. We’re finding out how to win. We’re learning. We’ve done it the past two games, even when we’re not playing well, so that’s a good thing.”

FIVE STRAIGHT AT HOME

Gordon added five rebounds and a pair of assists Friday evening against the Bucks, while Rodney Hood paced the offense with 23 points.

Gordon put his first points on the board with 1:20 remaining in the first quarter with a two-point shot off an assist from Chris Johnson. The bucket put the Jazz ahead 18-14, but the Bucks ended the first quarter on a 5-0 run to lead 19-18 at the end of the first period.

Milwaukee extended its lead in the third behind the hot shooting of Jerryd Bayless. The guard came off the bench and canned three three-pointers in the period. Gordon countered with a triple of his own and three makes from the free throw line to keep it close. But the Jazz still trailed by four at the break, and they knew they had to do something about Bayless, who was 5-of-5 from deep in the first half.

“We let Bayless get going early and then I don’t know if he scored the rest of the game,” Gordon said. “That was a good adjustment for us and we ended up winning the game.”

Milwaukee Bucks v Utah Jazz

G-Time recalled correctly. Bayless had 15 points at the break but didn’t find the scoring column for the rest of the night. As Gordon explained afterward, it all started on the defensive end. Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert combined for eight blocks and seven steals. With that duo now back in the lineup and protecting the rim, the Utah defensive machine is humming at full capacity once again.

“We’re starting to get some guys healthy. Fave has been huge for us, especially with the blocked shots. Obviously Rudy,” G said. “It allows our guys and wings to pressure some more and get those steals.”

The Jazz swiped five steals in the third quarter alone, forcing a total of seven Bucks turnovers. Eventually, those steals put Utah in control. After a Gobert steal with just under five minutes to go in the third, Gordon dished to Hood on a three-pointer to cut the lead to two. Finally, with 1:06 left in the period, G-Time knocked down a short jumper to put the Jazz in front, 61-60, for the first time since 10:11 of the second quarter.

With a lead going into the final period, Gordon came through with yet another clutch fourth quarter. Utah and Milwaukee traded leads to begin the fourth quarter, but Gordon’s long-range trifecta to beat the shot clock gave the Jazz a 70-66 lead. Exactly three minutes later, H20 pulled up beyond the arc and sank the dagger three pointer that gave Utah a 78-73 advantage.

Milwaukee Bucks v Utah Jazz

Utah was never able to pull completely away, but it kept Milwaukee just at arm’s length. Gordon drove the lane and dropped in a reverse layup to make it a seven-point game with 1:32 remaining. The Jazz closed it out from there, much thanks to a defensive effort that held the Bucks to just 37 points in the second half.

“Our defense kept us in the game. We executed the gameplan like we wanted to. When you’re not executing offensively, you can always count on your defense. That’s something we’re going to have to do on the road too. Defense travels, and we have another test tomorrow night and two more before the All-Star break, so we have to close it out strong.”

STREAK HITS SIX IN PHX

The Jazz didn’t have the start they hoped for Friday night in Salt Lake, so they set out to start strong and avoid the nail-biter the following night against the Suns.

Being on the road for the first time since Jan. 22 didn’t seem to bother the Jazz early on.
G-Time tacked six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal on to his 22-point total.
Utah started the game on a 10-0 run that was capped off with a trifecta by Hood off a handoff from Gordon.

No. 20 extended the lead to 18-6 with a 16-footer with 5:50 remaining in the first period. At 2:46, G-time ran down the baseline and threw down a tough dunk over the 7-foot-1 Alex Len to give the Jazz a commanding 24-10 lead. The Jazz led 31-12 at the end of the first quarter.

“We played well in the first quarter,” Gordon said. “We talked about it before the game about coming out to a good start and not letting this team get rolling…to come out early and play hard and set the tone. I thought we were good defensively, that was the key. And because of that, we got some good stuff on the offensive end, some easy stuff.”

Utah maintained its sizeable lead throughout the second quarter. With three seconds left in the second, G-time passed the ball to Raul Neto, who drained a three to give the Jazz a 53-35 halftime lead.

Neto paid him back after the break, dishing on an H20 three-pointer. Gordon kept attacking from there. At 5:58 in the third quarter, Gordon hit from 11 feet out to give the Jazz a 67-45 lead. Utah led 71-58 at the end of the third quarter.

Phoenix continued to chip its way back into the game throughout the final 12 minutes. The Suns got within nine points midway through the quarter, but the Jazz kept the game just out of reach. That forced the home team into desperation mode. Phoenix committed 13 fouls in the fourth quarter alone, but the Jazz went 13-of-18 from the free throw line to salt the game away.

“They mucked the game a bit,” Gordon said. “They made things difficult in the second half. They were face-guarding and being more physical and trapping a little bit. At least we grinded it out and won the game.”

NEXT UP

The Utah Jazz will try to keep their hot streak going against the Dallas Mavericks (29-25) on the road Tuesday. The Jazz have played the Mavericks once this season, on Nov. 20 in a 102-93 loss in Dallas.

“Hopefully we can build on this,” Gordon said. “We just have to grind it out until the All-Star break. It’s been a long season already. Guys are tired and banged up a little bit. We just have to take it one game at a time. We’re not too worried about the streak.”

The Mavericks have lost three of their last four games. In their most recent game, they defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on the road. The game tips at 6:30 pm. MT on Fox Sports Southwest.

Utah’s Jan. 23 game against the Washington Wizards that was postponed due to bad weather has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18. This will be the first game following the NBA All-Star break.

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