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The Wizards take on the Jazz on Thursday at 7:00 P.M. at Capital One Arena, closing a back-to-back and a five-game homestand. Washington is coming off a last-second loss to Sacramento on Wednesday and is still looking for its first win of the second half of the season. At 29-10, Utah holds the best record in the league and is coming off an eight-point win over Boston on Tuesday night.
Raul Neto (left rib contusion) will play after being listed as a game-time decision for the third consecutive game.
GAME INFO
Capital One Arena | 7:00 P.M. | NBCSW & NBATV | 1500 AM
PROBABLE STARTERS
Wizards: G – Russell Westbrook, G – Bradley Beal, G – Garrison Mathews, F – Rui Hachimura, C – Alex Len
Jazz: G – Donovan Mitchell, G – Jordan Clarkson, F – Bojan Bogdanovic, F – Royce O'Neale, C – Rudy Gobert
INJURY REPORT
Wizards: Thomas Bryant (left ACL injury – out), Raul Neto (left rib contusion – available), Ish Smith (right quadriceps strain – out)
Jazz: Udoka Azubuike (right ankle; severe sprain – out), Mike Conley (right hamstring injury management – out)
STORYLINES
Wizards trying to recapture winning ways amidst slump
The Wizards will take the court Thursday night having lost seven of their last eight games and all four games of the team’s current five-game homestand. Three of those four home losses came against the 76ers and Bucks, two of the premier teams in the league and provided some silver linings despite the end result. The same can’t be said for a last-second loss to a struggling Sacramento on Wednesday night. The team’s slump is particularly frustrating considering that it was preceded by a run of seven wins in eight games. After their loss against the Kings, the Wizards’ star guards Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook spoke on where the team stands and their efforts to lead a turnaround.
“We have to be better,” Beal said after the loss to the Kings. “It’s all on the defensive end and not turning the ball over. We’ve got to be better in that front…Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We don’t have Superman coming in here to save us, so we have to make sure we lock in, get ready to go and do it together. It’s possible. We’ve shown we can do it.”
“As a leader, I’m not a guy that just leads when things are going well,” Westbrook said postgame on Wednesday. “So when we’re not playing (at the level) we need to play at, I take that onus on myself. I take the blame because I feel like I’m not doing what I need to do to get our guys getting ready to go. That’s on me. I need to make sure I try to figure it out. One thing I’m not going to do is quit. I’m never going to give up on my teammates or the game because it’s done so much for me.”
Wizards look to contain Gobert
Looming large in the paint on Thursday night will be Jazz center Rudy Gobert, a three-time All-NBA center and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. He currently ranks second in the league in rebounds per game (13.5) and blocks per game (2.9) and has recorded three straight double-doubles, including a 24-point, 28-rebound showing on Sunday against Golden State. Combatting Gobert in the post will be Washington’s rotating cast of centers, which has leaned heavily on Alex Len in the last few games. Len is coming off his first double-double in Wizards uniform (13 points, 12 rebounds) against Sacramento. Len’s 12 boards and Westbrook’s 14 against the Kings helped lead the team to its sixth game this season with at least 50 rebounds.
League-leading Jazz face Wizards without Conley
Like the Kings team the Wizards faced on Wednesday night, the Jazz come to D.C. in the middle of an extended road trip. Utah’s matchup with Washington comes after road outings in Golden State and Boston – and prior to games in Tampa (Raptors) and Chicago. After starting the season 24-5 and winning 20 of 21 games from January 8-February 17, the Jazz have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games. They’ll be without All-Star point guard Mike Conley (right hamstring injury management), who is averaging 20.0 points and 5.0 assists per game in Utah’s three games since returning from the All-Star break. With Conley out, more responsibility will fall on the Jazz’s other All-Star guard, Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging a team-high 24.6 points per game this season and has scored 20-plus in 16 of his last 17 games.