Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz looked like the Christmas break treated them well after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 102-100 Tuesday night.

Hayward scored on a game-high 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting while adding nine rebounds and three assists.

It was a back-and-forth game that came down to the very end, where Jazz forward Joe Ingles made a 3-pointer with 21.6 seconds left to give the Jazz a three point lead.

“I am so happy we got the win today,” Gordon said. “We needed this one, especially with the losing streak we’ve been on. It kind of gets us going in the right direction.”

Utah Jazz v Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers had a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession, but the Jazz came up with a big defensive stop and forced Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell into a very tough shot, resulting in an air ball.

“A game like that, it can go either way, so I thought we were fortunate,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “I thought we started defending better in the second half. There was a period where they hit a lot of tough shots. I thought they made big plays around the basket, but I thought in the second half we made them earn it a bit more.”

G-Time was on right from the start. He buried a 3-pointer for the first points of the game, then corralled a rebound and knocked down another trey from the exact same spot to make it 6-0 Jazz. His hot start continued with a pull-up jumper from the free throw line, and a telepathic connection with Ingles on an alley-oop. No. 20 had 12 points in the opening quarter as the Jazz led 28-25 after 12 minutes.

“He came out aggressive, and if people are going to give him open looks, he’s got to take them,” Snyder said.

 

No. 20 came through with a trifecta and an assist on a Rudy Gobert dunk in the second quarter, but the Lakers claimed a 52-48 lead at the half. In the third, Gordon nearly threw down another highlight-reel alley-oop from Ingles but was fouled, but his strong play in the period made it just a two-point Laker lead going into the fourth at the Staples Center.

In the fourth, Gordon made up for the slam that was disrupted by a foul. He worked off a pair of picks set by Gobert and Ingles and put Julius Randle on a poster to give him 29 points on the night and give the Jazz a 92-91 lead.

The Lakers pushed back ahead, only to see G-Time find his buddy Ingles open on the wing for a go-ahead 3-pointer. L.A. had tied the game back at 95 when Gordon used a crafty move to draw contact while shooting a mid-range jumper. He made both free throws to put the Jazz up two, but the Lakers scored four unanswered.

With L.A. leading 99-97, Gordon looked for another big-time shot, and though his 3 was off the mark, Gobert was there to clean it up and tie the game with a putback.

Utah Jazz v Los Angeles Lakers

Great defense from Ingles forced Lou Williams into an ugly miss on the other end, setting the stage for Utah to reclaim the lead. On the following possession, Gordon drew a double-team on the opposite side of the floor, leaving Ingles open in the corner for the game-winning triple. On the final play, Ingles came through once more, putting a hand in Russell’s face on a long 3, forcing an air ball at the buzzer.

“He may have won this game for us,” Gordon said of Ingles. “But he’s won us countless other games this season.”

NEXT UP

The Jazz return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night.

The Sixers sit at 7-23 and are riding a three-game losing streak, most recently falling 102-100 on the road to the Sacramento Kings.

For his career, Gordon has averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists against Philly.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT from Vivint Smart Home Arena.