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The Utah Jazz officially qualified for the playoffs Sunday night when the Denver Nuggets lost to the New Orleans Pelicans. They didn't get in on a win, and they haven't been playing well over the last two weeks.

None of that matters.

What matters is that there will be Jazz basketball following April 12 for the first time since 2012. What matters to the Jazz is a playoff appearance that signals the end of Utah's rebuild that began in 2013 when the front office let Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson become free agents.

The three years since Quin Snyder became head coach have been a long road for Utah. There have been a lot of defeats. There have been lottery appearances. But the franchise has seen a steady improvement in those three seasons. And Sunday's result guarantees that the Jazz will continue that upswing.

No matter how it came.

"We have a young core and we've had this core group together for a little while," Jazz forward Joe Ingles said. "But this is a really good team this year. We've fought through a lot, we've had a lot of injuries. We enjoy each other's company and that's a part of it. We're proud to be where we are."

The Jazz began the rebuild by building a culture, which players and coaches say has been key. Bringing in veterans to help out with the younger players has been important as well.

When George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw entered the fold, they did so expecting to win basketball games, no matter how the winning got done. All three have been instrumental in this area. They've brought know-how to the Jazz. And it's no coincidence the Jazz have been better in close games this season than they have been previously.

"This is something that we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year and that we've wanted to accomplish," Snyder said. "So I think we can take a moment and feel good about it. We still have a long way to go, but it's good to be in the playoffs."

Missing centerpiece

All-Star Jazz forward Gordon Hayward missed Monday night's game with a quadriceps contusion that he suffered in Saturday's defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers. Hayward missed the fourth quarter of that game, and the pain hadn't alleviated enough for him to play against New Orleans. Hayward arrived at the arena for treatment pregame. The injury is not thought to be serious in the long term. Monday is the second game Hayward has missed this season.

Burks' night off

Alec Burks was not with the team Monday for personal reasons. No official explanation was offered for his absence. But Burks had been expecting the birth of his first child.

Another injury

New Orleans All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins missed his second consecutive game with a sprained ankle.

tjones@sltrib.com Twitter: @tribjazz