SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Losing five straight games and seven out of eight wasn't fun for the Utah Jazz, but they apparently learned some valuable lessons.

Derrick Favors had 28 points and 14 rebounds, Gordon Hayward added 27 points and the Jazz defeated the Sacramento Kings 108-99 on Sunday, winning their second straight game after that skid.

"I think right now we're just going out there having fun," Favors said. "I think in the past when we were losing seven (of eight), we were kind of stressing, kind of panicking. But now we're just going out there having fun, playing as a team. When we went on that losing streak it brought everybody closer together as a team. We started learning what it takes to win games."

Utah (31-35) moved to within two games of Dallas and Houston, who are tied for seventh in the Western Conference playoff race.

"Me and Gordon just wanted to come out and make plays," Favors said. "We know that we're still fighting for a playoff spot. We know we needed to win a couple games."

Jazz point guard Shelvin Mack, who had a career-high 27 points in a victory against Washington on Friday, scored 14 points and shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Rodney Hood had 12 points and Trevor Booker had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Kings center DeMarcus Cousins scored 31 points, returning to the starting lineup after serving a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. He added 10 rebounds and five assists.

Cousins was suspended after yelling at coach George Karl during a timeout late in the fourth quarter of a loss to Cleveland on Wednesday when his frustration boiled over.

The rift between Cousins and Karl has clearly not ended. Asked if being suspended by the organization was an eye-opening experience for him, Cousins said: "That wasn't a suspension from the organization. That was one from the head coach. There's a difference."

Cousins said Karl "hasn't said one word" to him since his suspension and that this season has been one of his most frustrating with the Kings.

"There's a lot of chaos, lot of chaos," Cousins said. "So much extra, extra stuff this season, extra unnecessary stuff."

Before the game, Karl said he has "just professionally done my job" and that "the opportunity will open up to talk" to Cousins.

Omri Casspi had 20 points, going 4-for-4 from long range, and Darren Collison scored 14 points for the Kings (25-40), who lost their fifth straight game and are 7 1/2 games behind Houston and Dallas. Willie Cauley-Stein had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Utah outrebounded the Kings 47-36.

Favors shot 10-for-16 from the field and 8-for-10 from the line. He made most of his baskets on mid-range jumpers.

The Jazz took control early, building a 36-18 lead after one quarter and a 61-45 halftime edge. They led by as many as 23 points in the first half.

"We really came out ready to play," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder, whose team lost the first two games against Sacramento this season. "We didn't give them anything easy. Part of that was because we were so efficient offensively. The last couple times we've played these guys we've gotten off to a bad start, gotten down early. It was exactly the opposite tonight."

Hayward led Utah with 18 first-half points, making 4 of 6 shots from long range and 6 of 10 from the field. Favors added 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, while Mack and Trevor Booker had eight apiece.

"Gordon is an up-and-coming stud," Karl said. "I don't know if he's an All-Star yet, but he'll probably make an All-Star team someday. Gave him way too many open looks.

"Favors is just a solid and smart player that knows how to run the pick-and-roll game. He got ... a lot of good shots. He's also a good offensive rebounder. He won that game with the two offensive rebounds in the last five minutes of the game."

Cousins led the Kings with 16 first-half points, making 4 of 8 shots, but he had only two rebounds. He didn't get his first board -- after a missed free throw -- until 2:19 remained in the first half.

The Jazz outrebounded Sacramento 23-12 in the first half with Gobert grabbing six. Utah shot 59.0 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point range. The Kings shot 48.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.

Utah opened the second half with a 6-0 run, extending its lead to 67-45. Hood scored from the key, Hayward made a driving lay-in, and Hood had a slam dunk after a Sacramento turnover.

Sacramento ended the third period with a 13-6 run and cut the gap to 84-69.

The Jazz led 94-76 with 7:48 left to play, but the Kings went on a 9-0 run, cutting the lead to 94-85 with 6:14 remaining. Cousins ignited the run with a 3-point basket. Utah ended the run with Hood's fast-break slam after a Kings turnover, making it 96-85 with 3:54 to play.

Sacramento closed to 104-99 with 23 seconds left on Casspi's 3-point basket but got no closer.

NOTES: Jazz G Alec Burks (fractured left fibula) missed his 38th straight game but accompanied the team on its one-game road trip to Sacramento. "We want to have him around as much as we can as long as it doesn't interfere with what he's doing as far as his recovery process," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "He's getting better. It's just a question of him being completely healthy before he returns. There's a number of games left and hopefully we'll have him for at least some of them." ... Kings G Ben McLemore (fractured finger tip) missed his third straight game. ... Jazz F Gordon Hayward has yet to miss a game this season and made his 65th straight start of the campaign. "Gordon has been just an iron man," Snyder said.