This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood are on the floor together for the Utah Jazz, it becomes a difficult matchup for opposing teams.
Most teams around the NBA have a premier defender designated to deal with playmaking wings of Hayward and Hood's stature. Not many have two such defenders, however.
As Friday night's 103-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks attests, stopping one of them for a period of time is one thing. Containing both is another.
Hood hit the game-winning 3-pointer and scored 15 points as a part of a balanced Jazz lineup, taking turns between making plays on the perimeter and posting up smaller defenders. Hayward's night included a milestone, as he passed Rickey Green to enter the top 10 in franchise scoring history. Together, the two posed mismatches for the Mavericks frequently.
"When both of us have it going, we can be tough to guard," Hood said. "We have a lot of chemistry on and off the floor, and we're able to play off each other. We make life easier on the other."
Both readily admit wanting the presence of the other on the floor. When Hayward missed the first six games of the season while recovering from a broken finger, Hood was guarded by an opponent's top defender every game, which made scoring difficult.
When Hood missed a few games with various ailments, Hayward's spacing wasn't what it had been before. This was particularly true in a loss last month to the Memphis Grizzlies, who guarded Hayward with a primary defender and kept a secondary defender close all night. It turned out to be one of Hayward's most difficult games of the season, as he was held to 13 points on 4 of 14 shooting.
"They are unique together because both are playmakers," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "They both do a lot of things offensively, and they are big guys. They have a lot of size, and that makes them unique as well."
Hood and Hayward struggled at times against Dallas, which made a run to get back into the game in the fourth quarter on Friday night. But on many nights, the two have been one of the best perimeter duos in the NBA.
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A tale of two teams
When Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood play • Jazz are 13-4 (Hood 15.5 ppg, Hayward 22.2 ppg)
When Hayward is missing • Jazz are 3-3 (Hood 17.5 ppg)
When Hood is missing: Jazz are 1-2 (Hayward 23.6 ppg)
When both are missing • Jazz are 0-1