National Basketball Association
Utah 109, Milwaukee 95
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, February 24, 2017
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials: #36 Brent Barnaky, #19 James Capers, #27 Mitchell Ervin
Attendance: 16064

MILWAUKEE -- For all the fancy plays a coach may try to draw up, winning in the NBA generally comes down to two simple ideas: Can you run the pick-and-roll, and can you defend it?

The Utah Jazz ran the pick-and-roll almost to perfection much of Friday night and the Milwaukee Bucks did not defend it.

Gordon Hayward scored 29 points to lead an offense that scored 52 points in the paint as the Jazz waltzed to a 109-95 victory.

The Jazz (36-22) won their second straight after a three-game skid.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 30 points in Sunday's All-Star Game, led all scorers with 33 points and added 12 rebounds for the Bucks. That mattered little as Milwaukee trailed by double digits for all but a few seconds of the second half.

Forward Derrick Favors scored 19 points for Utah, and center Rudy Gobert added 15 points and 16 rebounds for his sixth straight double-double and 40th of the season.

Milwaukee (25-31) had won its last three games before the All-Star break.

The game turned in a first quarter that saw the Jazz score easy basket after easy basket. When they weren't scoring at the rim, they were put on the free throw line because Bucks defenders seemed a step behind. Utah scored 22 points in the paint in the first quarter and 52 for the game.

"We did a really good job finding our rollers," Utah coach Quinn Snyder said.

That was an understatement.

Milwaukee opened with an 11-3 burst during which the Jazz went 0 of 3 from the field. After Snyder took a timeout, his team went on a serious roll.

Haywood scored nine during a 23-5 run. By the end of the quarter, the Jazz led 36-27. Other than a 3-pointer by George Hill, every Jazz point came either in the paint or at the line.

"Defensively, it wasn't the 3, it was them on the roll being able to finish," Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd said. "They took advantage of our defense today."

Milwaukee pulled within 36-31 early in the second quarter, but a three-point play and a basket by Favors and a 3-pointer by Hill pushed Utah to a 46-33 lead.

Milwaukee never got closer than nine the rest of the night.

"Our guards did a good job of attacking the pick-and-roll," Hayward said. "They're big enough to see over the top and they were hitting the roll man. 'Fave' did a good job of rolling, and Rudy.

"They (the Bucks) were staying home on the corners, so the roll was wide open."

Milwaukee has had trouble giving up corner 3-pointers. Working to repair that problem left a gaping hole in the middle.

"It's something we went over in the walk through," Milwaukee guard Matthew Dellavedova said of Utah's pick-and-roll attack. "It's a balancing act. You have to do both -- cover the roll and get out to the shooters.

"They killed us with the shooters and a little bit of the roll in Utah (Feb. 1). Tonight, it was the roll."

Michael Beasley added 22 points for Milwaukee.

Hill's two free throws with 35.7 seconds left in the first half gave Utah a 59-46 lead at the break.

Milwaukee did little to cut into the margin. Hayward dropped in eight more in the third quarter to reach 20 for the game. Three-pointers by Ingles and Dante Exum in the final 1:41 of the quarter sent the Jazz to the final 12 minutes with an 87-75 lead.

Milwaukee never threatened to make a game of it in the fourth quarter.

NOTES: Utah C Rudy Gobert entered the game with at least one blocked shot in each of his previous 26 games. He didn't get a block in the first half but had one on the first possession of the third quarter to push his streak to 27. He finished with three blocks. Gobert also had 16 rebounds, giving him double-figure rebounds in 41 of the last 43 games. ... G Gordon Hayward, coming off his first All-Star appearance, continued to show he is one of the NBA's best all-around players with a 20-point night that included a plus-11 rating. He has scored at least 20 in seven of the last nine games, topping 30 in four of those games. ... Utah G Dante Exum totaled 12 points, giving him double figures off the bench in three straight games. Exum has reached double figures 15 times this season. ... Milwaukee G Khris Middleton continues his return after missing the first 50 games with a torn left hamstring. In his fifth game back, Middleton posted nine points in 24 minutes in Friday's loss. ... Bucks C Greg Monroe made 30 of 39 shots from the field in the previous three games but went just 2 of 8 against the Jazz.
Top Game Performances
 
Utah   Milwaukee
Gordon Hayward 29 Scoring Giannis Antetokounmpo 33
Joe Ingles 5 Assists Matthew Dellavedova 6
Rudy Gobert 16 Rebounds Giannis Antetokounmpo 12
George Hill 8 Free Throws Made Giannis Antetokounmpo 11
George Hill 4 Steals Giannis Antetokounmpo 4
Rudy Gobert 3 Blocks Giannis Antetokounmpo 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Utah 109 50.0 8-23 27-30 23 41 5 8 16
Milwaukee 95 43.2 7-18 24-29 15 35 1 5 15
Upcoming Games
  • Milwaukee will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Bucks have a W/L % of .423 after a win and .467 after a loss.
  • Utah will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Jazz have a W/L % of .657 after a win and .565 after a loss.