Jazz magic falls short late in physical duel with Wizards


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SALT LAKE CITY — As games dwindle, so are the chances for the Utah Jazz to qualify for the playoffs.

However, that doesn’t mean the Jazz aren’t doing everything they can to try to qualify for the playoffs. Entering a game against the Washington Wizards, the Jazz were on a six-game winning streak and were looking to finish off a five-game homestand undefeated.

After a historic victory over the Charlotte Hornets Monday, the expectations for the Jazz were high as they could be against the Wizards.

Regardless of how the Washington game turned out, Jazz coach Quin Snyder said in pregame comments that the homestand has been a valuable learning experience for the Jazz.

“We’ve had a chance to play consecutive games, and have given us a chance to play with a consistent preparation which has resulted in consistent play,” he said. “You hope that you can maintain that when you find yourself in different situations like going on the road. It’s been a unique homestand, and I think we’ve taken advantage of the fact we’ve been at home.”

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For the first time since a Feb. 25 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Jazz didn’t enjoy home cooking, falling 88-84 to the mature, hardened Wizards.

The Jazz trailed 26-21 at the end of the first quarter and 42-40 at the end of the first half. Washington led by as many as nine in the fourth quarter, but the Jazz battled back to trail by two with seconds left in the game.

Snyder said it was a tough, physical game that just didn’t turn out Utah’s way.

“I’ve got no problem with how any of our guys played,” he said. “We can play better, but I don’t think you can look at one guy and there was something lacking. I’m proud of them; I loved how we competed. It would have been nice to win, but that’s the game. The physicality of the game made it harder, and that’s how it goes.”

Jazz forward Gordon Hayward finished with 26 points, while Washington guard John Wall finished with 24.

Utah struggled offensively throughout the night, making just 34-of-82 shots. The Jazz shot just 18.2 percent (4-of-22) from 3-point range.

One of the keys to the Wizards' win came from containing the Jazz front line of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. Favors scored just 16 points with nine rebounds, while Gobert contributed nine points and 14 rebounds.

In spite of that, Wizards coach Randy Wittman said the Jazz frontcourt is as formidable a force as there is in the league.

“(Gobert’s) a guy that covers a lot of ground and plays with a lot of confidence,” he said. “(Gobert gives them a rim-protector back there, along with Favors. That’s a big front line with those two, so it’s a different look than they’ve probably had.”


"I've got no problem with how any of our guys played," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder.

The Utah machine has been rolling as of late, but a lack of ability to make free throws in the game cost the Jazz dearly. Utah made just 12-of-24 free throws.

The game came down to the final seconds. With Utah trailing 86-82 with 12.5 seconds left, Joe Ingles threw up an alley-oop pass on an out-of-bounds play, and Hayward answered the call with a dunk.

The dunk cut the score to 86-84, and then the Jazz forced a Wizards turnover to give Utah a final chance to take the lead. Snyder drew up a play for Hayward to take the shot, and he missed a three right, from which Washington closed out the game.

The Jazz finished the homestand 4-1, and head out for two road games with the Lakers and Golden State.

While the loss to a strong Washington team ended Utah’s six-game winning streak, Snyder said the game represented just another learning opportunity for the growing Jazz, while cautioning against knee-jerk reactions.

“We can get into the habit of really analyzing every game we play, there’s 82 games and I don’t want to read too much into each game,” he said. “They made some plays, and we had some good looks and made some big baskets, so I’m not at all discouraged by how we played. I think we can play better, I think we can shoot better, but a lot has to do with (Washington).”

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