SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Jazz challenged Gordon Hayward to push his game even further last summer and become a more versatile scorer. The Jazz are seeing those results on a nightly basis through the first quarter of the season.Hayward matched his season high with 32 points and the Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets 105-98 on Saturday night.We talked about this early in the season. We felt like hed expanded his game, Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. He added a comfort-level in the post. ... And hes shooting off screens. Hes able to score in multiple ways.When someone takes something away, hes able to have another option. The biggest thing Gordons been doing is defending and, as a result, hes getting some easy baskets.The Jazz used a 31-8 stretch in the third quarter to blow open the game. Hayward took over, scoring both inside and on the perimeter, with 21 points in the quarter. It was the third consecutive 30-point game for the seven-year veteran, who is averaging a career-high 22.8 points and has scored 20-plus points in 11 of 14 games this season. This is the first three-game, 30-point stretch of Haywards career.Its a lot of work that I put in this summer, for sure, Hayward said. But, also, were running some good sets for me. ... Just continuing to see the floor a lot better. Seeing where my shots are coming. Taking advantage of how the defense is guarding me. ... Just trusting the work that I did.When Im active and play with a little bounce on the defensive end, Im definitely more confident offensively because of that. Its all about staying active and getting myself involved in the game.Rodney Hood chipped in 15 for the Jazz.Wilson Chandler and Will Barton each scored 20 for Denver.Denver knocked down seven 3-pointers trying to rally in the fourth quarter, but couldnt complete the comeback. The Nuggets matched a season high with 13 3-pointers.The Jazz took a 49-47 lead into halftime after a back-and-forth opening 24 minutes in which neither team was able to string together a significant run. Neither team shot the ball well from distance in the first half as the two teams were a combined 4 for 15 from behind the arc.Im happy we showed a lot of fight and heart getting back in the game, not dropping our heads and feeling sorry for ourselves, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. Hopefully, that can give us a little juice going forward.Im just really happy with the fact we competed tonight. Thats step No. 1 in our recovery.TIP-INSNuggets: Nikola Jokic missed his second straight game with a left wrist sprain. ... Denver is now 0-8 when trailing after the third quarter. ... The Nuggets have won just one road game since Nov. 6.Jazz: Hood returned to the starting lineup after missing the last game with a hamstring injury. He went down hard in the third quarter and limped to the bench, but stayed in the game. ... George Hill missed his second consecutive game with a sprained left big toe.TOUGH TIMESThe Nuggets have lost five of six with a lengthy road trip ahead. Malone is not thrilled with the state of his team.Right now, I am living minute-by-minute, day-by-day, Malone said. We arent playing good basketball right now. Its no secret. Our defense is evaporating rapidly.QUOTABLEWe started out in the first half doing all the right things, Chandler said. It was in the third quarter we kind of got away from that. Everybody, not just one person. We had to climb uphill and exert so much energy. Its hard to fight back from a 20-point deficit and get the win.UP NEXTNuggets: Denver visits Philadelphia on Monday for the second game of a six-game trip.Jazz: Utah travels to face the Los Angeles Lakers and No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram on Monday. Adidas Nmd Dámské Levně . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Adidas Nmd Dámské Cerne . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. http://www.botynmdlevne.com/adidas-nmd-panska-levne.html . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Yeezy Powerphase Cz . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Adidas Nmd Levně Panske . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Each time Marc Mariani heads out to catch a kickoff, he huddles first with the Tennessee special teams coach for a quick strategy session. Once he reaches the end zone and the balls in the air, the mental calculations begin.Where will the ball come down? Short of the goal line or behind? Catch it and run? Catch and kneel? Or just let it roll out of the end zone for a touchback?All in the seconds that it takes for the ball to fly off the kickers foot to the returner.It makes you second guess taking it out of the end zone now, and I think thats what the NFL wanted , said Mariani, a 2010 Pro Bowler as a return specialist.The NFL is halfway through its one-season experiment with a rule placing the ball at the 25-yard line instead of the 20 on touchbacks . The league wants to see how that impacts kickoff returns while hoping to keep players safer by reducing runbacks. Studies have shown players are at greater risk of injury on a play sending teams running at each other, creating relatively high-speed collisions.Through nine weeks, touchbacks are up to 60.9 percent on kickoffs, according to Sportradar. Thats a jump from 58.8 percent a year ago and is the highest rate at this point in any season over the past 11 years. Teams also are averaging just 20.5 yards per return, the lowest average since the start of the 2006 season.Titans special teams coach Steve Hoffman said the rule is having the effect special teams coaches expected, making it very difficult to reach the 25 returning a kick. Teams with fast players who recognize an opponents coverage scheme still can attack, though the decision on when to risk returning a kick often depends on the score and time left on the clock.Its hard to get it to the 25, Hoffman said. You ask most offensive coordinators, theyre going to call plays a lot different at their own 15 than their own 27. They dont want to take negative plays. They dont want to take a sack, so what everybodys trying to do, theyre just trying to pin it.Through the first eight weeks, only two kicks had been returned for touchdowns -- both by the Philadelphia Eagles.Then within an hour of each other, Kenyan Drake returned a late kick 96 yards for a TD , helping Miami beat the Jets 27-23. And Colts running back Jordan Todman took the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown , setting the tone for a big win at Lambeau Field on a play Greenn Bay coach Mike McCarthy called a big swing.ddddddddddddYou cant have it, McCarthy said. Thats coverage unit 101.Kickoff returns remain thrilling plays, and those pushed the NFL to four TDs midway through the season, matching the four such TDs at the same point each of the previous two seasons. The league hasnt had double-digit touchdowns off kickoff runbacks through nine weeks since 2010 -- the year before the NFL moved kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35.Cordarrelle Patterson of Minnesota had 10 returns of 50 yards or longer during his first three seasons with the Vikings. This season, he surprised Tennessee with a 61-yard return coming out of halftime in the season opener, but has had nothing longer than 37 yards since.Patterson used to have the green light even backed up in his end zone, with the Vikings confident Patterson he could reach at least their 24. Now getting to the 24 means Patterson might as well have taken a knee in the end zone, and Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said the rule has affected how they think.I think its going to be interesting going forward with what the league does with it as long as we keep the play in the game, Priefer said. Its an exciting play. It does make a difference on field positioning. The way we teach it here is to teach our techniques to keep guys safe, keep the head out of the game, and I know a lot of coaches are doing that now. I dont think theres as many injuries as there has been. So, were going in the right direction.The NFL still has half a season left before deciding whether to make the rule permanent. With the weather turning cooler, especially for northern teams, Darren Rizzi, Miamis assistant head coach/special teams coordinator, expects more teams to opt for the high, shorter kickoff that has been used mostly by those with both good kickers and coverage units.So, there have been some unseen things I think that theyve been pretty interesting, so I think that itll continue to trend downward, Rizzi said.---AP Pro Football Writers Dave Campbell and Rob Maaddi and AP Sports Writers Steve Wine and Michael Marot contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker ' ' '