All good things must come to an end.
Following last night's heartbreaking loss to the San Antonio Spurs, ending Utah's eight-game winning streak, the Jazz will look to get back to its winning ways Saturday night when it hosts the Washington Wizards.
Although the loss ended the streak, Utah is 12-3 in their last 15 games, with the three losses coming by a combined four points.
The quickest way to start a new streak will come on the defensive end, especially after Friday night against the Spurs.
Utah struggled on defense as they allowed San Antonio to score 69 points and shot 61.7% from the field in the second half. It was a far cry from the winning streak when the Jazz typically used bis second halves to run away from opponents.
"They deserved to win that game," Utah head coach Quin Snyder said of the Spurs. "This is something we have to continue to focus on, recognize and fight — where we have lapses where we're not as focused on the defensive end."
Despite the loss, Utah knows precisely what it needs to rectify things.
The fix is simple as it comes down to concentration and focus, traits the Jazz are more than capable of doing. It's about setting the tone and getting off to a fast start, trying to take the wind out of the opponent and never let them get it back.
"It starts from the jump, just being able to set a tone," Donovan Mitchell said. "If we set the tone early, like we have been doing, nights like this won't happen."
The good news for the Jazz is that they face a Wizards team they beat 123-98 a week ago in D.C.
Mitchell led six players in double figures with 28 points, but the defense got the job done. The Jazz held Bradley Beal to 21 points and limited Washington to 46.1% from the field and 32% from beyond the arc, outscoring them by 26 in the final 24 minutes.
STATSUtah (20-8, 10-5 home / No. 3 Western Conference)Offense*116.0 Points Per Game (No. 1 in NBA)*117.8 Offensive Rating (No. 1 in NBA)
Defense*105.0 Points Per Game (No. 7 in NBA)*106.7 Defensive Rating (No. 7 in NBA)
*Donovan Mitchell: 24.9 points / 5.0 assists / 3.7 rebounds / 1.7 steals*Rudy Gobert: 15.3 points / 14.6 rebounds / 2.1 blocks / 73.3% shooting *Bojan Bogdanovic: 16.9 points / 3.8 rebounds / 42.0% 3P-territory*Jordan Clarkson: 15.1 points / 3.1 rebounds / 25.0 minutes
Washington (15-15, 7-11 away / No. 7 Eastern Conference)Offense*105.5 Points Per Game (No. 25 in NBA)*107.0 Offensive Rating (No. 23 in NBA)
Defense*108.3 Points Per Game (No. 17 in NBA)*109.7 Defensive Rating (No. 20 in NBA)
*Bradley Beal: 22.8 points / 5.8 assists / 4.7 rebounds *Montrezl Harrell: 14.6 points / 7.6 rebounds / 24.72 PER*Spencer Dinwiddie: 12.8 points / 5.1 assists / 4.9 rebounds*Kyle Kuzma: 12.8 points / 8.0 rebounds / 34.4% 3P-territory
MATCHUP TO WATCH*Donovan Mitchell vs. Bradley Beal— A rematch from two weeks ago when Mitchell got the better of Beal, this game should once again spark fireworks from two of the premier guards in the league. Both players are capable of getting whatever shot they want on offense and have very underrated finishing abilities at the rim. It’s unknown if each player will guard one another but if they do, it’ll be a fascinating showdown with whoever winning the individual battle having a better chance of winning the war.
CAREER MILESTONES TO WATCH*Joe Ingles — 4,985 points *Bojan Bogdanovic — 1,995 rebounds*Rudy Gobert — 6,993 points*Mike Conley — 1,296 steals
BROADCAST INFORMATIONTime: 7 p.m. MSTLocation: Vivint Arena / Salt Lake City, UTTV: AT&T SportsNetRadio: 1280 The Zone