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In a past life, Joe Johnson was an All-Star shooting guard. Now the 35-year-old seems to be settling into his new life as a playmaking power forward and one of the Jazz's most reliable crunch-time options.

And in helping the Jazz rally to a 105-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, Johnson made the case, yet again, that when the Jazz need a big play, often times the best bet is to go small.

"I think it gives us a different look, especially with me at the four," the 6-foot-8 Johnson said of his minutes at power forward. "… It keeps the floor spaced. We're getting wide-open shots."

The Jazz started the fourth quarter trailing Kemba Walker and company by nine.

Twelve minutes of basketball later, with Johnson serving as a perfect complement to Rudy Gobert, Gordon Hayward and George Hill, Utah had outscored the Hornets 32-16 to improve to 32-19 on the year.

Johnson probed the Charlotte defense late in the quarter, finding Hill open in the corner for a 3-pointer to tie the score at 96-96. On the next trip down the floor, Johnson hit a floater to put the Jazz on top. They wouldn't trail again the rest of the way.

"He's one of those guys that, late in the game, you feel good about it when he's got the ball that he's going to make a good decision," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.

After an eight-point, two-assist fourth, Johnson finished the game with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench.

Just as importantly, Johnson opened up things for his teammates.

"It just makes it easier on me. Defenses can't just focus in," said Hayward, who scored 11 of his game-high 33 points in the final quarter. "The past two games, he's been a playmaker for us with the ability to get in the paint and hold guys off and let the play develop."

While Johnson has needed to spend much of his time playing on the wing this season as the Jazz have dealt with injuries to guards Rodney Hood and Alec Burks, the veteran is finally getting the chance to settle into his new role at the 4-spot.

And it just may be his best one for the Jazz.

"He's just getting more and more comfortable on the floor in general and particularly at that position as we use him more," Snyder said. "We're going to keep using him that way."

Twitter: @aaronfalk