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FINAL: WIZARDS 109 | JAZZ 103
Behind a third-consecutive standout scoring performance from Bradley Beal, the Wizards snapped a four-game skid with a 109-103 win over the Jazz on Saturday night in Utah. Beal scored a season-high 37 points on 13-24 (.542) shooting, his third-consecutive game with at least 25 points.
He scored 20 of his 37 points in the first half – making it two-straight games with 20-plus in the first two quarters – leading a crucial 20-5 run late in the second that turned a nine-point deficit into a six-point lead. From that point forward, the Wizards had control, leading for most of the remainder of the game and never trailing by more than three points.
“I think it’s great,” Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said of the Wizards’ comeback from an early disadvantage. “We’re going to be in a lot of games like that especially late in the year. We weathered the storm, knowing they were going to make a late run. Keep playing the right way even when it doesn’t necessarily go as we planned. I’m proud of them. Everyone, to a man, stepped up.”
Beal also added a team-high seven assists, the first of which moved him into sole possession of fourth on the Wizards’ all-time assists leaderboard. Beal now has 14 games this season with at least seven dimes.
Utah’s strong start to the night was led by Donovan Mitchell, who finished with a team-high 32 points, and Bojan Bogdanovic. The duo combined to shoot 5-7 (.714) in the first quarter and score 23 of the Jazz’s first 26 points of the night.
After leading 56-53 at halftime, the Wizards came out in the second half and got active on the offensive boards to maintain a lead as Utah warmed up from beyond the arc. Washington found success around the rim all night, outscoring the Jazz 54-30 in the paint.
In the late, decisive minutes of the fourth quarter, the Jazz went over three minutes without a field goal, allowing the Wizards to take a 9-1 run to a 100-95 lead with 3:24 remaining. Beal highlighted the run on the offensive end, knocking down mid-range, step-back jumpers on back-to-back possessions. On defense, however, it was Deni Avdija who took control of the game down the stretch. Avdija’s defensive responsibility rotated throughout the night, but his efforts on Mitchell late in the game were crucial to the Wizards’ win.
“I wanted that win so much,” Avdija said postgame. “We started the road trip tough…Getting this last win on the road versus a very good Western Conference team means a lot about team, means a lot about our players. As bad of a stretch as we had, we managed to keep playing through…I’m proud of the guys.”
Avdija finished the night with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block and was plus-23 in 30 minutes.
The game was sealed in dramatic fashion. With the Wizards up by four, Rudy Gobert finished an aggressive put-back dunk off a Royce O’Neale miss. On the other end, Raul Neto, who finished the night with 15 points, got trapped along the baseline and was forced into a jump-ball against the uber-athletic Mitchell. Neto won the tip, directing the ball to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who knocked down his third 3-pointer of the night to put Utah away for good.
Up next, the Wizards have two days off before a matchup with the Nets in Brooklyn on Tuesday night.