Jazz pull away in fourth quarter for 94-85 victory over Lakers

The Jazz hit five three-pointers in the fourth quarter to outpace the Lakers for a 94-85 victory on Friday night in Utah.

Kobe Bryant sat out with the Lakers playing on the second night of a back-to-back games. So did Ronnie Price with a sore elbow.

Instead, the Lakers went with a Jeremy Lin/Wayne Ellington backcourt, but it was starting center Jordan Hill with a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Nick Young off the bench with 23 points that kept the Lakers close to the Jazz.

Gordon Hayward scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Jazz while Trey Burke added 20 points and Derrick Favors notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Nine Lakers scored but only Young and Hill were in double figures. Lin finished with six points, three assists and three turnovers. Ellington contributed nine points.

The Lakers shot well from the field at 47.6%, but collaborated for only seven assists on 31 field goals and committed 21 turnovers.

The Jazz shot only 42.4% from the field, but made 12 of 31 three-point attempts (38.7%) and had 13 turnovers. The Lakers made three of seven attempts (42.9%) from behind the arc.

Utah was perfect in 10 attempts from the free-throw line. The Lakers took 27 trips to the line, making 20.

With the loss, the Lakers fall to 12-29. They’ll have the weekend off before visiting the Phoenix Suns (23-18) on Monday night. The Jazz (14-26) play on Sunday in San Antonio against the Spurs (25-16).

Jazz 70, Lakers 63 (end of third quarter)

The Jazz heated up in the third quarter, while the Lakers slumped, with Utah pushing ahead by seven points.

Utah forward Gordon Hayward leads all scorers with 25 points while center Derrick Favors has 16 and guard Trey Burke 10 for the Jazz, who shot 42.2% from the field. The Jazz have 12 turnovers.

The Lakers managed only 18 points in the quarter, but are shooting a solid 49% from the field for the game. On the other hand, the Lakers have just seven assists on 25 field goals and 18 turnovers.

Jordan Hill leads the Lakers with 14 points and nine rebounds. Nine different Lakers scored at least four points, but only Hill is in double figures.

Jazz 44, Lakers 43 (halftime)

The Lakers outscored the Jazz by four points in the second quarter, but finished the half down one in Utah.

Jordan Hill helped carry the Lakers’ offense, scoring 12 points on six-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.

Utah forward Gordon Hayward is the game’s leading scorer with 16. Neither team had a second double-digit scorer.

The Lakers shot 50% from the field but gave the Jazz too many extra possessions with 15 turnovers.

Defensively, the Lakers played well, holding the Jazz to 37.2% shooting while forcing them into 10 turnovers.

Jazz 28, Lakers 23 (end of first quarter)

Turnovers were a problem for the Lakers in the first quarter against the Jazz, helping Utah finish the opening quarter with a five-point lead.

The Lakers turned the ball over six times compared to three for the Jazz.

Utah forward Gordon Hayward leads all scorers with 11 points on four-of-six shooting. The Jazz are shooting 50% from the field.

Wesley Johnson and Carlos Boozer both scored five points for the Lakers, who are shooting 52.6% from the field but on three fewer attempts because of the turnovers.

Ronnie Price was unable to play (elbow), giving Jeremy Lin the start at point guard, but he didn’t score in eight minutes.

Pregame

After falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers (20-20) on Thursday night, the Lakers (12-28) will visit the Jazz (13-26) on Friday night in Utah.

Kobe Bryant will sit out to rest, with Wayne Ellington starting in his place.

The Jazz are without Alex Burks (shoulder). The Lakers are also missing Julius Randle (knee) and Steve Nash (back).

For an in-depth breakdown, check out check out Preview: Lakers at Jazz.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus