This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Richard Jefferson scored 11 points and Gordon Hayward added 10 to lead the Utah Jazz to a 50-47 halftime lead over Sacramento on Saturday night at EnergySolutions Arena.
Looking for bounce back from a 32-point loss at Portland on Friday, Utah led at intermission despite missing its final seven shots.
The Jazz took advantage of quick foul trouble on Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins to get off to a good start.
Cousins picked up two fouls in the opening 86 seconds. With him on the bench, Enes Kanter scored six points and helped Utah take a 10-5 lead.
Despite Sacramento's cold shooting, however, the Jazz could not build their lead.
It was 24-23 at the end of the first quarter.
Utah regained the momentum when Jefferson buried two three-pointers and Alec Burks hit another on consecutive possessions.
The Jazz took a 43-33 lead with five minutes left in the half before going cold down the stretch.