John Wall posted 41 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists on 16-for-23 shooting Wednesday night, but it still wasn’t enough, as they bowed to the Los Angeles Clippers in a shootout, 133-124. It snapped the Wizards’ four-game winning streak.
Despite that, though, Washington should be feeling no concerns (for now). This has been one of their finest campaigns in a long while, as evidenced by winning their division and possibly entering the postseason as one of the top four seeds for the first time in 39 years.
Wall (23.8 PPG, 10.8 APG) and Bradley Beal (23.1 PPG) are proving to be deadlier and more mature duo than in years past. Through their leadership, the Wiz are fifth in points (105.9 PPG) and eighth in offensive efficiency, and on top of that, have become a pretty resilient team on defense – they’ve overcome 16 double-digit deficits this season to win a game.
They’ll look to showcase that scrappiness against Utah, and should be on a fiery mode to redeem themselves. In their meeting in late February, they lost, 102-92, with Wall (22 points, 11 assists, four steals) and Beal (23 points) being mostly alone. Excluding the backcourt tandem, Washington collectively went an awful 19-for-53 from the field (35.8 percent).
The Wizards are 10-5 in their last 15 games (6-9-1 ATS).
Like the visiting Wizards, the Jazz are also enjoying one of their best seasons in a while. They are about to record their best season in seven years, which is also the post-Jerry Sloan era.
Utah will enter the contest having won three of their last four, with the most recent being a 112-92 domination of the Sacramento Kings. Their defense was on-point, as they only allowed two threes and two offensive rebounds, both of which are the fewest they’ve given up this season.
Offensively, it was a fun night as well. They shot 53.2 percent, highlighted by Rudy Gobert’s 16 points and 15 boards, Gordon Hayward’s team-high 20 points, and Rodney Hood’s perfect 5-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
Similar things may happen tomorrow night. In the aforementioned previous encounter with the Wiz, Hayward scored a game-high 30 and Gobert towered his way in the paint for a 15-point, 19-rebound double-double, while also swatting four shots. George Hill, meanwhile, chipped in 21 points, six assists, and five threes.
The Jazz are 15-5 in their last 20 games at home (9-10-1 ATS).
