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Derrick Favors saw an opportunity to test his vertical leap and he took it.

And after the Utah Jazz forward, hampered by injuries this season, had slammed home a dunk, he said he felt a little closer to being whole.

"I just wanted to test it, see if I could do it," he said. "I know in the past games I wasn't able to jump that high or be able to explode like that."

But Favors isn't yet playing at 100 percent, so on Saturday night the Jazz opted to give him a night off to rest, leaving him inactive against the Memphis Grizzlies.

"I'm still working towards that right now," Favors said at the team's morning shootaround. "I definitely have gotten better, feeling better, moving better. But it's still a process for me right now. I'm just trying to make sure I don't have any setbacks."

Favors is averaging 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in January, down from the 16 and eight he averaged last season with the Jazz. And while Favors has been a regular starter, he has found himself off the court late in games.

"It's been working for us," Favors said. "I just support the team. I support whoever's out there and when I'm out there I just make sure I do what I can, play as hard as I can. And we're winning so I don't mind."

Favors, however, did say he believed his health was part of the reason for his limited play in fourth quarters.

"I think the health plays into it too," he said. "Obviously they don't want to play me too many minutes so I won't have any setbacks."

Quiet please

Rudy Gobert loves to hear the roar of the crowd.

"When you get a block or a rebound and you hear the crowd, you know everybody's running," Gobert said this week and then shot a glance at his teammate Joe Ingles, one locker over. "Even Joe is running."

But there have been times late in games when Gobert has tried to hush the home crowd, like a quarterback trying to run his offense.

"At the end of the game, when you play defense you want to communicate," he said. "We've got to communicate. So when the crowd is noisy at the end and I call a screen, [point guard George Hill] cannot hear."

Another level

Joe Johnson happily congratulated Gordon Hayward this week on his first All-Star selection-and the veteran forward believes more could be on the way.

"It's a great feeling," said Johnson, himself a seven-time All-Star. "It helps develop a sense of confidence. Then just being around a bunch of all-star caliber guys, it can take your game to a whole other level. Then you start to see yourself in that light and, next thing you know, the next three, four, five years you've been selected and now you're a six-time All-Star. That's just kind of how it goes."

Twitter: @aaronfalk