Utah Jazz (19-44) beat Washington Wizards (16-46) 122-112 on the road on Thursday, March 5, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Jazz struck first, taking the opening quarter 37-23 and a 14-point lead after one. The Jazz kept the pressure on with a 30-26 second quarter, carrying a 18-point lead into halftime.
The Wizards won the third 35-26 to stay in front, taking a 9-point lead into the fourth. The Jazz took the fourth 29-28; the Jazz finished the job for a 122-112 regulation win.
What decided it
The Jazz took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.7% of possessions compared with 20% for the Wizards. The Jazz grabbed 37.8% of their own misses, while the Wizards recovered 34.9%. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Wizards did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 28.6 against 14.1. The Jazz made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 95 possessions per team, the Jazz produced 129.1 points per 100 possessions to 118.5 for the Wizards.
Who made the difference
Airious Bailey was the game's biggest individual force for UTA: 32 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast on 12-19 shooting. His Game Score of 25.6 led everyone. His team was +8 with him on the floor.
Julian Reese led the Wizards with 18 pts, 20 reb, 2 ast on 5-7 shooting, good for a 23.9 Game Score.
Julian Reese (18 pts, 20 reb, 2 ast), Kyle Filipowski (20 pts, 14 reb, 3 ast), and Isaiah Collier (27 pts, 3 reb, 11 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 39% for the Jazz.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Jazz are now 19-44, and the Wizards are 16-46. The Jazz last five before this game: L-L-L-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.