Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward Stays in Top 10 of NBA MVP Rankings
Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward is coming off a season-high 36-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks.
Even as the Utah Jazz suffered one of their more fail-tastic setbacks of the season, a 112-105 to the Dallas Mavericks in a game they led by 21 points, Gordon Hayward looked the same as he has through most of the season. Simply put, he was awesome.
In 43 minutes of play, Hayward scored a season-high 36 points and knocked down four three-pointers. It was his eighth 30-plus point game this season and his third in the last four games.
As good as Hayward has been throughout the season, he’s elevated his game in the month of February. Through five games played, he’s averaging 28.6 points, six rebounds, just under four assists and 1.6 steals per game. He’s also hitting 56 percent of his shots and over 41 percent from three-point range.
His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.
In this week’s edition of the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder on NBA.com, Hayward checked in at No. 10 the rankings. This marks the third-straight week he’s been in the Top 10.
#GordonHayward raises his play (and that of @utahjazz, too)
Latest @NBAcom Race to the #KiaMVP: https://t.co/w4KkG2T0Ys pic.twitter.com/paRdey5uGd
— NBA (@NBA) February 10, 2017
Wrote Sekou Smith —
Hayward has been on a tear recently, particularly since learning that he’d earned his first All-Star bid. The Jazz have solidified themselves as a legitimate top-four Western Conference team behind the work of Hayward, who has improved dramatically on both ends this season.
The complete rankings shake out as follows —
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Smith also examined how Hayward has not only elevated his own play, but that of his team. The numbers that really matter bear it out; with Hayward leading the charge, the Jazz have won 11 of their last 15 games.
Check out Smith’s full feature HERE.
