Rested Jazz tangle with slumping Hornets

SALT LAKE CITY -- Getting a little rest did some wonders in helping Utah get back on track.

The Jazz picked apart Milwaukee in a 104-88 victory on Wednesday. Utah (31-19) broke open a close game during the second quarter behind a dominant performance from center Rudy Gobert. He scored 15 points in the quarter as part of a 26-point 15-rebound effort. It marked Gobert's 33rd double-double of the season.

One factor influencing Gobert and his teammates flourishing over the final three quarters was having three days' worth of rest after a grueling run of six games in nine days prior to that point.

"It was good being able to work and practice," Gobert said following the win over the Bucks. "Get our defensive habits back. Tonight, maybe we started slow, but once we got going, you could see that we were back the way we were before."

Utah's defense was in peak form. The Jazz held Milwaukee to 34 combined points on 41 percent shooting over the second and third quarters. The Bucks struggled to get to the line and get rebounds and Utah took full advantage.

With two days of rest heading into Saturday's game against Charlotte, the Jazz should be energized once again facing a struggling Eastern Conference squad. The Hornets (23-27) lost to Golden State 126-111 on Wednesday after surrendering 21 3-pointers. It marked a season-high for Golden State, which led by as many as 32 points.

Kemba Walker finished with a season-low seven points, the first time he has failed to score in double figures. Charlotte was also hurt by the absence of Cody Zeller, who missed the game with a quadriceps bruise. The Hornets are 1-11 this season without Zeller in the lineup.

Zeller will also be unavailable against the Jazz, which means Charlotte needs to find some answers to snap a six-game losing skid.

"We just need to figure some things out, man to man," Walker said following the loss to Golden State. "We just kind of need to look at ourselves in the mirror and understand what we're not doing as individuals. It's been pretty rough for us the last couple of weeks."

Utah will be missing a key player as well. Rodney Hood hyperextended his right knee again in the second quarter against the Bucks on Wednesday and also suffered a grade 1 LCL sprain. He will not play Saturday and his knee will be re-evaluated.

Hood previously missed five games after hyperextending his knee in January. He has missed a total of 10 games because of injury or illness.

Derrick Favors is expected to play for the Jazz on Saturday. Favors sat out the last two games while he continues to try to get back to 100 percent after missing significant time earlier in the season.

Newly acquired center Miles Plumlee could make his debut for Charlotte on Saturday. Plumlee came to the Hornets from Milwaukee in exchange for Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert. He is averaging 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 32 games this season. Plumlee did not play against the Jazz on Wednesday.