Enes Kanter scored 23 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, leading the Jazz to a 98-68 victory over the cold-shooting Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night at EnergySolutions Arena.
Playing with Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap because of injuries, the Jazz started quickly.
Kanter scored six quick points and Utah opened a 9-4 lead. It was 13-9 when Gordon Hayward scored five points during an 8-0 run that gave the Jazz a 21-9 lead.
Charlotte made only four of its 20 field-goal attempts in the first quarter and Kanter finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
The Jazz maintained a 29-15 lead early in the second quarter, when the Bobcats went three minutes without scoring.
Kanter made it 32-15 before Randy Foye buried a three-pointer with 5:25 remaining in the half. It was Foye’s 130th three-point shot this season, giving him the franchise’s single-season record.
By halftime, Utah enjoyed a 23-point lead behind the play of Kanter, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Hayward, who finished with nine points.
In the third quarter, the Jazz owned a 55-32 before failing to convert 11 of 12 possessions. Charlotte got as close as 57-41, but Hayward countered with five straight points and the Jazz cruised home.
Utah improved its record to 32-27 and pulled within one game of Golden State in the race for sixth place in the Western Conference playoff race.
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