Jazz slip past Wizards, 107-104
Ricky Rubio scored 21 points, and the Utah Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak with a 107-104 victory over the host Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Wednesday night.
Donovan Mitchell and Ekpe Udoh had 16 points apiece for the Jazz (17-24). Joe Johnson also had 16 points off the bench for Utah, which was playing its 11th consecutive game without center Rudy Gobert (knee).
John Wall led Washington (23-18) with 35 points on 14-of-27 shooting, and he added a game-high 11 assists. Bradley Beal had 23 points for the Wizards, who lost for just the third time in 10 games. Beal has scored 20 or more points in the eight consecutive games.
Washington tied a season high with 23 turnovers that led to 27 points for Utah.
Wizards starting small forward Otto Porter was back in the lineup after missing the Saturday game with hip and back injuries. He finished with 14 points in 37 minutes.
A 3-pointer by Wall and a 3-pointer by Kelly Oubre Jr. capped an 8-0 run and the Wizards led 99-98 with 2:31 left in the game. Rubio and Wall traded 3-pointers, and the Wizards were on top 102-101 with 1:22 left.
The Jazz responded with another 3-pointer by Joe Ingles (10 points).
That proved to be a huge shot because Washington turned the ball over on the next possession. After Beal missed a 3-pointer, Johnson made both free throws, and the Jazz led 106-102 with 23 seconds remaining.
After Oubre made a driving layup, Johnson made one of his two attempts from the line to extend the advantage to 107-104 with 7.6 seconds left. Beal could not handle the inbounds pass, and the Jazz hung on for the victory.
The Jazz routed the Wizards 116-69 on Dec. 5. This time, Utah proved to be another tough matchup and swept the season series with Washington, which fell to 0-2 at the start of a five-game homestand.
--Field Level Media
