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Shaking off trade rumors, Jefferson guides Jazz past Warriors

SALT LAKE CITY -- Al Jefferson made it a bit harder for the Utah Jazz to consider trading him before Thursday's deadline.

Jefferson, whose name keeps popping up in trade rumors, scored 24 points to lead seven Jazz players in double figures, and Utah posted a 115-101 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

Jefferson scored five points in a game-changing 8-0 run in the third quarter to help the Jazz pull away for their third win in a row.

"It's my job," Jefferson said. "For me, as far as focus, I'm just going to continue to stay focused and just do my job, and that's to help lead this team."

Golden State dropped its sixth straight game despite a 29-point effort from Stephen Curry.

"They outworked us," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "Once again, defensively we were not sharp. We didn't take care of the basketball in stretches. It is another uncharacteristic performance by us, and we have to find ourselves."

Utah (31-24) pulled into a virtual tie for the sixth spot in the Western Conference playoff race with slumping Golden State (30-23).

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin has a soft spot in his heart for his squad that has won 12 of 17 despite multiple injuries, so he's holding out hope that the roster remains intact.

"I appreciate what they do for us," Corbin said. "We all understand the business, but it's been a great group of guys to work with, and we look forward to continue to work with them."

Gordon Hayward received a warm welcome from the Jazz crowd of 18,231 when he entered the game at the 4:35 mark of the first quarter after sitting out the past 10 games. Utah's sixth man hadn't played since spraining his right shoulder in an overtime win against Indiana on Jan. 26.

Hayward quickly inserted himself into the action, swatting a shot and making a dunk. He airballed his first 3-point attempt but then hit two from beyond the arc.

Hayward finished with 17 points, four assists and two blocked shots.

"It's tremendous to play in front of these fans," Hayward said. "Feels great. We needed this one. Golden State is a good team. They can be very difficult to guard."

Paul Millsap, the other Jazz player most often named in trade rumors, added 14 points and nine rebounds.

The Jazz also got 15 points from Randy Foye, 14 from Derrick Favors, 13 from Alec Burks and 11 from Marvin Williams.

The Warriors shot 47 percent, but they never held a lead.

The Jazz made half of their shots (39 of 78) and built as big as a 17-point lead.

Curry scored 18 first-half points to keep the Warriors within striking distance. The sharpshooter's 3-pointer early in the third quarter cut Utah's lead to 66-65, but the Jazz responded with a Jefferson bucket, a Foye 3-pointer and a Jefferson three-point play to re-establish a nine-point lead.

Golden State's Jarrett Jack had 19 points and nine assists, and David Lee contributed 18 points and nine rebounds. Klay Thompson added 15 points and seven boards for the Warriors, who picked up a 94-83 win in Utah on Dec. 26.

Golden State returns home to host Phoenix on Wednesday night.

Lee said defense is the Warriors' biggest problem.

"(The Jazz) scored over 100 points tonight. That's enough to get a win," Lee said. "We got back on the boards tonight and outrebounded them by seven, so that wasn't much of a concern tonight, but it was really kind of the same issues we've been having -- too many turnovers (14) and not playing overall defense like we were earlier."

Utah doesn't play again until a Saturday road game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

NOTES: A day after getting arrested in North Carolina for allegedly not paying state income taxes from 2009-11, Jazz assistant coach Sidney Lowe avoided media contact Tuesday in Utah. ... The Jazz organization did not make a statement on Lowe's legal issues, which include three misdemeanor charges, calling it a "personal matter." Corbin grumbled at reporters for asking multiple questions before Tuesday's game. "It's a personal situation he's dealing with. We support him wholeheartedly," Corbin said. "He understands. He's taking responsibility for where he is in it, and we'll support him and he'll move on." Corbin said Lowe's coaching responsibilities will remain "absolutely the same." ... Utah connections: Jackson was John Stockton's backup in the Hall of Fame point guard's final season with the Jazz in 2002-03, and Golden State center Andrew Bogut was an All-American for the University of Utah in 2005. Bogut had no points and five rebounds in 15 minutes Tuesday.