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Oklahoma City • Gordon Hayward makes it a point to get physically stronger during every summer.

This isn't a vanity thing for the Utah Jazz small forward. On the contrary, it's something he feels is not only needed, but required. Hayward, you see, has a job description that puts him the direct line of one of the most talented collective positions in the NBA. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Paul George — Hayward has guarded all of those guys at some point this season.

And he's guarded them well, using his physical strength to keep guys out of the lane and his foot speed to stay in front of elite players on the perimeter. That ability has turned Hayward into one of the better defensive small forwards in the league.

"You have to be strong against those guys," Hayward said. "You have to be strong in the core. You also have to be good in the post, because those guys are big as well. You can't let them back you down too far, because if they get the ball in too deep, it doesn't matter how your defense is, they are going to score."

When Hayward was a wispy rookie out of Butler University, he challenged himself to be a two-way player, someone who's as good on the defensive end as he is offensively. This season, the Jazz are reaping some of the benefits.

When Utah defeated the Indiana Pacers a last week, Hayward blanketed George and held him scoreless as his primary defender in the overtime period, when the Jazz eventually pulled away. George scored 48 points that night. But Hayward's ability to defend him without help in those five minutes essentially won the game for Utah.

In Friday night's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hayward was so good on Durant that his defense became the main linchpin for the Jazz' rally. Durant took the game over in the final minute, but that's because his talent is simply that immense.

"I think being a good defender is who I can be," Hayward said. "I feel like I'm talented enough to do that. It's about focus and it's about energy and I want defense to be a calling card for me."

A big switch

Jazz coach Quin Snyder elevated Alec Burks to the starting lineup on Sunday night against the Thunder, in place of usual starting point guard Raul Neto. It's the first time this season Snyder has used his three-wing alignment of Burks, Hayward and Rodney Hood at the beginning of a game, and only the second start of the season for Burks, who is usually Utah's sixth man. The switch in the lineup was a response to the Jazz's recent slow starts.

Back-to-back blues

Jazz point guard Trey Burke said it was a bit weird for his team to have to play against the Thunder on in consecutive games. Sunday's matchup was a rare instance of two NBA teams facing each other in a home-and-home series.

"It's kind of weird obviously, because we just played them at home," Burke said. "Now we're playing them on the road, but that's how the schedule goes. We're not used to it."