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Los Angeles • The Jazz have seen more than their fair share of injuries to this point in the season. So Rodney Hood missing even one game, as he did last week with a strained hamstring, hurts.
That's why Hood and the Jazz breathed a sigh of relief Saturday night when they saw their starting shooting guard pick himself up after taking a hard fall along the baseline.
Hood had been driving to the basket in the second half of the Jazz's 105-98 win over the Nuggets, when Denver forward Kenneth Faried soared in from behind to contest the shot. Faried knocked the ball away and then fell into Hood on the ground.
For a moment, the Jazz had to hold their collective breath as Hood grabbed at his hamstring.
"It just bothered me," Hood said. "Just the impact of landing bothered me more than anything. I just shook it off and it was fine. Just got a little sore after the game."
Two nights later, Hood said he was still feeling it.
"It's sore but I'll just continue to get through it," he said before suiting up against the Los Angeles Lakers. "I think it will be fine in a couple of days."
As for Faried's blocked shot?
Hood said he never got a good look at the play.
"Everybody else said it was a goaltend," he said, "but they didn't call it, so I guess not."
Turned around
For the Jazz, Saturday night's win over the Nuggets followed a script that has become familiar this season: start slow, then turn it on after halftime.
The Jazz have been one of the best second-half teams in the NBA this season. In the first halves of games this year, the Jazz have outscored opponents by 3.3 points per 100 possessions. Coming out of the locker room, however, they have outscored opponents by 10.1 points per 100 second-half possessions. Only the Warriors and Raptors have been better after halftime.
"I'd like us to start games better," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "… I know our defensive rating last year fell off a cliff late and that's something we've really been focused on. I don't think we've always started the game with a level of determination and focus and physicality-aggressiveness, is probably the best word for it. So maybe we're finding that a little more in the second half. But hopefully we can continue to back that up and play better in the first half, too."
Injury report
Point guard George Hill missed his third straight game with a sprained big toe. Hill did not travel with the team to Los Angeles. Forward Derrick Favors (left knee bone contusion) and guard Alec Burks (left ankle rehab) also remained sidelined.
Twitter: @aaronfalk