[Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images]
Jazz 102
Wizards 92
February 26, 2016 – Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Before everyone hits the panic button, remember that the Wizards went 18-3 the last time they lost back-to-back games. Washington’s shots did not fall tonight and they were killed on the boards 52-27. “Physicality – they had it, we did not,” Brooks said. “We let them run their offense without any resistance.” The officials were not the sole reason, but they probably played a part. The home team’s streak of scoring 100 or more points ended at 23 as they lost 102-92.
1st quarter
Washington looked hungover from their loss in Philadelphia on Friday night as they started the game just 1 of 8 from the field. This allowed Utah to take a 9-2 lead as the Wizards were not running their usual crisp offense we were accustomed to before the All-Star break. The Jazz made three three-pointers in just over the first four minutes of the game.
The Wizards responded with a 12-1 run with Wall nailing a three-point shot from the elbow. Later, Porter had a nice steal and dunk on a Utah outlet pass. The cherry on the sundae was recently acquired Bojan Bogdanovic making his first shot as a Wizard at the Verizon Center, a corner three that got the home arena hollering at 104.7 decibels. Five ties later, Washington’s streak of 13 games leading after the first quarter was over with things tied at 24.
2nd quarter
It sounds like a broken record by now but the bench is the weakest link to this Washington time. To start the quarter, Utah immediately went on an 8-0 run, but that would not be a deal breaker. The Wizards responded with a 9-2 run capped off by an electric Porter to Wall alley-oop that got Verizon Center on their feet and up to 109.7 decibels.
After Washington cut the deficit to one, Utah brought their starters back in following a timeout and they responded with a 10-2 run. The Wizards struggled to score in the quarter with a 15-point session, which is fourth worst of the season, on just 30.4 percent, 7 of 23, shooting from the field. Headed to intermission, Washington was down 49-39 because of their worst first half scoring performance of the season and lucky to be down just 10 because of Utah’s 14 turnovers.
3rd quarter
To say the first six plus minutes of the third quarter was ugly would be an understatement. Utah busted out for an extended 21-7 run to push their lead up to 24, 70-46. The Washington offense was stagnant and they were unable to supplement shots not falling from the field by getting to the free throw line. It was not until 4:53 left in the third quarter that the Wizards got their second free throw attempt of the game. Washington had one free throw in 29 game minutes whereas Utah had 20.
Although things seemed bleak, the game was not out of reach. Washington ended the quarter on a 14-3 run including a 33-foot, essentially one stride in from half court, shot from Bogdanovic near the buzzer to win over the hearts of the Verizon Center faithful. Instead of Trey Burke coming in to play backup point guard, Scott Brooks gave the reins to Tomas Satoransky who was DNP-CD for the previous three halves. Headed into the fourth quarter, Washington was down 73-60 and holding out hope to complete a monster comeback.
4th quarter
The bench was able to maintain the status quo for the early parts of the fourth quarter, but Utah shortly went on an 8-0 run to push their lead back up to 20 points. The Jazz were getting easy shots with dunks and layups that made Brooks question the team’s physicality after the game. Markieff Morris also called the team’s effort “soft” tonight. Utah’s run was completed once Morris picked up two fouls and was subsequently ejected with 7:31 remaining in the game. "Refs and their feelings, been like that all the time," Morris said.
Maybe Morris’ ejection was exactly what the Wizards needed. Who knows, maybe if he has enough of the officiating early it buys Washington more time for a comeback. The home team had an impressive 19-5 run to claw within 6.
With just two minutes left, a comeback seemed plausible but a Gordon Hayward three-pointer followed by a jump shot step back sandwiching one of Wall’s nine turnovers spelled dagger. The Wizards got within 8 with 75 seconds but there was simply not enough time to potentially complete a comeback. Washington lost their second straight game, this time by a count of 102-92.
#WizJazz in a Tweet
The Game’s Top Performer
Bojan Bogdanovic – 15 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, three 3-pointers.
Yes, John Wall and Bradley Beal both had over 20 points, but the former’s nine turnovers and the latters foul trouble kept them from receiving the honor. On the other hand, Bogdanovic seemed to make all Wizard fans ok with the trade that brought him to DC as he was 5 of 10 from the field including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. The Bosnia and Herzegovina native is still gaining chemistry with the Wizards, but certainly could be worth the 2017 first round pick price.
“I thought Bojan was really good, he plays hard and I like that,” Brooks said. “I like guys that play hard … when you play hard, you are going to catch all of our eyes. You are going to be on the court a lot longer than the guys that don’t.”
A forgettable night for…
Markieff Morris
Morris gets a lot of heat from fans for always being in foul trouble, which I believe is mostly unwarranted, but he did not have his greatest showing of the season tonight. Part of it was shots not falling as he shot just 3 of 11 from the field, part of it were questionable foul calls, but at the end of the day you hope it is just a blemish in what has otherwise been a very productive two months for Morris.
Key Stat of the Night
Much was made about the free throw discrepancy so it clearly has to be the stat of the night. Washington was trailing in the free throw attempts category 20 to 1 into the third quarter and finished the game trailing 32-13.
“It’s frustrating, you keep attacking the basket and no name guys are getting calls on the other end that are getting little contact,” Wall explained. “You drive to the basket and get contact the whole game, and then you try to make up for those calls the last two or three minutes of the game. It gets frustrating, but I have to do a better job as the leader of this team to hold my emotions in check. Don’t try to give me the calls when there’s 30, 45 [seconds, a minute left to make me feel good. That’s not going to change the outcome, or how aggressive I want to be in the game.”
What’s next?
Washington has not had a three-game losing streak since November 16, 2016 after dropping games to Cleveland, Chicago, and Philadelphia. They are in jeopardy of doing so on Tuesday as the defending Western Conference champions are coming to Verizon Center. Golden State’s offense is lethal and Washington will have to wake up from their All-Star break coma if they even want a shot at competing. With two games against the Raptors and just eight remaining home games after, it is important the Wizards try and steal a game against Steph Curry and company.