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The Wizards struggled from the get-go in Salt Lake City on Monday, losing in a rout, 116-69. The 47-point loss was the Wizards’ second-worst in franchise history, behind a 52-point loss to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks. The Jazz used a 28-6 run in the first half to open up a 34-point lead at the half. Otto Porter Jr. led the Wizards with 14 points, while Donovan Mitchell’s 21 points, Alec Burks’ 27 points off the bench, and Rudy Gobert’s return from injury anchored the Jazz.
The Jazz led 19-15 toward the end of the first quarter until they went on a 10-0 run to conclude the quarter. Utah would finish the half on a 45-15 run including that 10-0 burst, and the Wizards trailed by 34 at the half.
Utah dominated the first half in the paint, outscoring the Wizards 34-8 down low. In the first half, Washington was held to 4-for-21 shooting in the paint, while the Jazz made 17-of-23 from the field. The Wizards finished 12-42 in the paint for 24 points, tying a season-low (11/25 vs. Portland). Gobert and Derrick Favors protected the paint very well for the Jazz, and led Utah with a 52-31 rebound margin. Utah would finish with 50 points in the paint on 25-of-37 shooting in the paint.
Washington simply could not get anything going offensively, shooting 28.7% on the night. The Wizards were 4-of-20 from beyond the arc, and only had nine assists. Utah committed 16 turnovers, but the Wizards were unable to convert, only scoring seven points off of those turnovers. On the other hand, the Jazz made 56.6% of their shots, including 16-of-34 from deep.
The Jazz won their sixth game in a row and showed off their steady ball movement, excellent defense, and inside-out game. The Wizard gave up too many open shots and seemed a step behind throughout the game.
“I don’t know how to explain it tonight,” head coach Scott Brooks said postgame. "I was definitely caught off guard how we played. I wasn’t expecting that because we haven’t played this way all year, even the games we lost, it was all down to the last three or four minutes. I wouldn’t imagine we could ever be down 47 points. But the fact of the matter is they outplayed us and we couldn’t make shots. We couldn’t stop them from making shots and that’s an ugly combination and all credit goes to them. They’re a good team but we’re not this bad and I know that. I’ve seen us play a lot of games and we’re a much better team than we played tonight, but we’ve got to prove it tomorrow night and hopefully we can come back better and play with the toughness that you need.”
The Wizards will need to gather themselves now as they head to Portland for the second part of a back-to-back on Tuesday night at 10:00pm.