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Jazz 88, Pistons 85
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
SALT LAKE CITY — Derrick Favors scored a game-high 26 points and the Utah Jazz continued their hot streak with an 88-85 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday at EnergySolutions Arena.
The Jazz held off a late Pistons rally to win for a season-high fifth consecutive outing and for the 10th time in 12 games since the All-Star break.
Utah (29-36) hadn’t had a five-game winning streak since stringing together that many victories from March 25-April 1, 2013.
Power forward Greg Monroe led Detroit with 16 points and 13 rebounds, but the Pistons (23-43) fell for the second consecutive night and for the 10th time in a row.
Detroit center Andre Drummond only played 11 minutes before leaving the game for good with a concussion. He finished with just four points and two rebounds.
The Pistons used a 30-point fourth-quarter explosion — as many as Detroit scored in the first and third quarters combined — to challenge the Jazz until the final horn.
Jazz center Rudy Gobert had another big game with 10 points, 19 rebounds and two blocked shots, but the 7-foot-1 big man missed an opportunity to clinch the win with three seconds remaining.
Gobert was off on both free-throw attempts, leaving the door open for a desperation game-tying attempt by Detroit. However, Spencer Dinwiddie’s half-court heave sailed to the left of the hoop at the buzzer.
The Pistons cut Utah’s lead to one a few times in the final minute, but small forward Gordon Hayward answered with a slam dunk on one occasion, rookie Rodney Hood responded with a jumper and former Michigan star Trey Burke hit a clutch floater off the backboard with 13 seconds remaining the final time.
Hayward and Hood both scored 12 points for the Jazz.
Anthony Tolliver chipped in 14 points off the bench for Detroit, which traveled to Utah after losing in Portland on Friday night.
The Pistons have now lost to Utah in 18 of 21 matchups.
NOTES: Detroit F Shawne Williams did not play after being suspended without pay for one game by the NBA for head-butting Portland C Joel Freeland during Friday’s Pistons-Blazers game. Freeland was also suspended for the incident. … Jazz SF Gordon Hayward received two nominations for the 2015 Governor’s State of Sport Awards for Utah athletes, including for Professional/Olympian Male and Event/Highlight of the Year for his buzzer-beating game-winner against Cleveland in November. … Pistons G John Lucas III played for Utah last season.
