The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: George Hill and Gordon Hayward are Undefeated Together

By Jared Woodcox

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The Utah Jazz are currently sitting at a solid 11-8 record after winning four straight games, but what’s more impressive is that Utah is a perfect 5-0 when both Gordon Hayward and George Hill have played.

After an impressively dominant 120-101 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, the Utah Jazz have now won four straight. It’s no coincidence that those four wins have coincided with George Hill playing in each of the last four contests after returning from a thumb sprain.

Hill has been sensational all year, averaging 21.2 points per game on 54.3 percent field goal shooting heading into Tuesday’s game. While he didn’t put up as many points as he has lately in the win over the Rockets (he only logged eight), Hill still is averaging 19.3 points over his last four games.

But it hasn’t just been Hill’s scoring abilities that have helped this Jazz team, it’s also been his ability to make his teammates better. Perhaps no player has looked better alongside Hill than Gordon Hayward.

Hayward had a rough go during the Jazz’s four-game losing streak as he put up just 13 points against the Grizzlies, eight against the Bulls and nine against the Rockets. He was able to bounce back with 25 in the loss to the Nuggets, but he also had three turnovers and wasn’t able to do enough to lead the team to victory.

However, since Hill has returned to action, Hayward has been exceptional, averaging 25.3 points per game, including a 31-point performance against Houston, to help lead the Jazz to four straight wins.

And combine those four wins with the Jazz’s earlier win over the Knicks in the first game Hayward played this season and the last game Hill would play before suffering a thumb sprain in the contest, and Utah is undefeated when both players are on the floor.

The Jazz’s record may be 11-8, but the combo of Hill and Hayward are sitting at a perfect 5-0.

These two have been one of the best duos in the NBA as they boasted the highest net rating of any two-man lineup in the league coming into Tuesday’s contest. They’re putting up a combined 41.4 points per game and have shredded opponents on both ends of the floor as both have proven themselves to be versatile two-way players.

So as Utah looks to continue to build on their 11-8 record with seven of their next eight games at home, Hill and Hayward will also look to continue to maintain their perfect record together.

Assuming they both stay healthy and keep up this current pace, the Jazz would finish the year with a 74-8 record. Totally doable, right?

Ok, so that may be more than a little farfetched, but it’s been encouraging to see that not only can George Hill and Gordon Hayward  simply co-exist together, but they have absolutely excelled as a duo, making each other better and creating a daunting match-up for any opposing team.

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So as this two-headed dragon of Hill and Hayward continues their hot play, while it isn’t realistic to expect them to not drop a single game, you can bet that their continued efforts will help the Jazz to keep surging up the standings.

We’re not even a fourth of the way into the NBA season but it’s already clear that the Utah Jazz, particularly with their healthy duo of George Hill and Gordon Hayward, are an incredibly dangerous team and bound to be a force to be reckoned with.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com

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