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Chicago • Gordon Hayward is not 100 percent healthy.

Anyone who spent part of Saturday watching the Utah Jazz small forward against the Chicago Bulls saw that. Playing 16 minutes in the first half, Hayward went 2 of 6 from the field and scored five points. His normal explosion wasn't there. He seemed disengaged at times. He played like a guy in a good amount of pain.

But he also endeared himself to his teammates. Coming back after missing two games with plantar fasciitis, Hayward sent a clear message to the Jazz on the importance of Utah's ongoing race to make the playoffs.

"Gordon's a soldier, this means a lot to him and we can see that," Jazz forward Trevor Booker said. "He's a guy that's putting it all on the line for us and we appreciate that."

On Saturday morning, Hayward spoke of how important for him it is to make it onto the floor, injury or not. He's gone through intense rehabilitation over the past week.

But for as much progress as he's made, Hayward acknowledged he will probably be playing in pain for the remainder of the season, because injuries like plantar fasciitis don't usually go away without continual rest.

But in his sixth season, making the postseason is of significant importance to Hayward. On Saturday, it didn't go so well for him, as he missed a number of shots he normally makes. And it will be interesting to see if he plays on Sunday night in Milwaukee against the Bucks on what will be the second game of a back-to-back for the Jazz.

"It means a lot," Utah point guard Shelvin Mack said. "Gordon's dedicated and he wants us to make the playoffs. He's ignoring the pain in order to help us get there. So just going out onto the court means a lot to all of us."

Staying in front

Speaking of Mack, he had a big matchup on Saturday night against Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. It didn't go so well; by the end of the third quarter, Rose was 9 of 12 from the field with 20 points, four assists and a couple of rebounds. Rose was Chicago's leading scorer through three quarters, and he accomplished all of that in 22 minutes of playing time.

"Derrick is very good," Mack said before the game. "He's a former MVP of our league, so we know what he's capable of. It's not just me, it's all of us. We all have to help guard him."

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