As you could imagine, Gordon Hayward got a cold reception Friday night when he made his returned to Utah.
From the moment he stepped on the court, fans made sure to let Hayward know that he wasn’t welcome after leaving the franchise high and dry two years ago via free agency.
While the boos rang loud at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Jazz fans had plenty to cheer about as the team coasted to a 123-115 victory.
Joe Ingles matched his career high with 27 points and added a season-high seven assists to lead the Jazz to victory.
Donovan Mitchell added 21 points and five assists and Rudy Gobert and Ricky Rubio each chipped in 17 points for the Jazz.
In his return, Hayward scored just 13 points in 25 minutes in his first game back in Utah. The former Jazzman didn’t play last year after breaking his ankle in Boston’s season opener.
“I kind of expected some of that,” Hayward told reporters after the game. “They were booing me from the get-go, so it’s part of the game.”
The Jazz had the biggest lead of the game in the second half before Boston trimmed the 20-point deficit to four near the end of the fourth quarter after Marcus Smart dhit a 3-pointer.
But the Jazz answered right back as Gobert scored on a layup and Jae Crowder put the final nail in the coffin with a corner 3 against his old team to give Utah a 117-109 lead with under a minute to play.
