This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Somehow, over the ear-splitting noise of the EnergySolutions Arena crowd and the general commotion of a stressful basketball game, Al Jefferson heard the directive from Orlando's bench.

And he knew exactly what was coming.

"They yelled blue on almost every possession in overtime," Jefferson said. "I knew they wanted to double with their guards. So from there, it's about finding the open man and making shots."

That, right there, is how the Utah Jazz offense has gone to another level in the past month. On consecutive possessions, Gordon Hayward and Devin Harris knocked home wide-open 3-point looks, blowing open their matchup with the Magic in overtime and leading the Jazz to a 117-107 win on Saturday night.

No longer is it prudent strategy to slap a simple zone on the Jazz, collapse on Jefferson and Paul Millsap and dare the guards to shoot from the perimeter. No longer is it easy to defend Harris and Hayward by slacking off and playing them to drive to the basket.

The Jazz have started to make the 3-pointer consistently. And that has made them more dangerous as they head into a matchup with the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night that could propel them into the playoffs.

"It's something that we knew we had to start doing," Hayward said. "We know that we have the ability to shoot the ball, and when we're doing it well, the big men have more room to work with in the paint."

Truly, Utah's resurgence from the perimeter has had a ripple effect. It started with Harris, who rediscovered his game and figured out how to be aggressive and run the offense at the same time. And it has spread to Hayward, who has been playing his best basketball of the season in the past month.

Against Orlando, Utah's 4-for-8 shooting on 3-pointers allowed Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin to stick with the big lineup with Millsap at small forward, which dominated Orlando inside. It became a pick-your-poison scenario for the Magic, who couldn't guard Millsap or Jefferson straight up, but paid for it when they double-teamed either one of them.

"It gives us a whole new dimension when we're shooting the ball well," Jefferson said. "It just opens things up down low and it gives us more room to operate."

tjones@sltrib.comTwitter: @tonyaggieville