Late in Wednesday's game, All-Star point guard John Wall drilled a lead-changing three and then pounded his chest all the way down the court as Washington's crowd erupted.
And then the Jazz silenced the building.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Ricky Rubio and Joe Ingles—plus a game-clinching defensive play by Donovan Mitchell—propelled Utah to a much-needed 107-104 victory over the Wizards in Washington, D.C.
The win snapped a seven-game road losing streak for the Jazz (17-24).
Rubio led the Jazz with 21 points, and he added three assists and four steals in 41 minutes. Mitchell struggled from the field (7-for-20) but still contributed across the board with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block.
Joe Johnson and Ekpe Udoh finished with 16 points each in the win.
Wall double-doubled with game highs in points (35) and assists (11) for the Wizards (23-18), while Bradley Beal added 23 points in the loss.
Wednesday's Best
Starting in place of Derrick Favors (ankle), who had been starting at center in place of Rudy Gobert (knee), Udoh played a huge role in Utah's win. The 6-foot-10 center stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, nine rebounds (five offensive), two assists, four steals and two blocks in 34 minutes. Udoh converted two three-point plays (both in the second half), and his 16 points were the most he's scored in an NBA game since he had 17 on March 5, 2012.
Key Stretches
The Jazz trailed for much of the game until they went on an 11-1 run near the end of the third quarter. Mitchell threw down an alley-oop dunk, and then a running layup by Rubio gave the Jazz a 76-75 lead (their first advantage since they led 9-8 early in the first quarter). Johnson drilled a three from the wing before consecutive steals (by Royce O'Neale and Rubio) led to a wide-open dunk by Jonas Jerebko and a layup by Rubio—and an eight-point Jazz lead at the end of the third quarter.
An 8-0 run gave Washington a 99-98 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game, but 3-pointers by Rubio and Ingles (both assisted by Mitchell) and three free throws by Johnson gave the Jazz a three-point lead with 9.0 seconds left. Washington had a shot to tie, but Mitchell scrambled around a screen and rose up in front of Beal, causing Washington's sharpshooter to double-clutch and then drop the ball for a game-sealing turnover.
Significant Stats
23
Wall (eight) and Beal (five) combined for more turnovers (13) than the entire Jazz team (12). Overall, the Jazz forced 23 turnovers and outscored the Wizards 27-20 in points off turnovers.
+14
The Wizards shot a significantly better percentage than the Jazz (52.6 percent to 46.7 percent), but the Jazz made up for it by taking 14 more field goal attempts (92 to 78). The wide turnover margin—plus Utah's 11 offensive rebounds—helped offset Washington's hot-shooting night.
Coach's Quote of the Night
Notable
Gobert missed his 12th straight game. ... Rodney Hood picked up two technical fouls—one heading into halftime and the other late in the third quarter, when he was ejected. Hood finished with seven points on 3-for-11 shooting in 15 minutes. ... O'Neale and Ingles scored 10 points each. ... The Jazz shot 11-for-33 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range and 10-for-13 (76.9 percent) from the free-throw line. ... The Jazz are now 4-17 on the road this season.
Up Next
The Jazz will finish off their four-game road trip on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff is set for 5:00pm MT.
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