3/31 Utah vs. Washington
7:00 pm MT – Root Sports/League Pass
Opponent record: 45-28
Season series: Jazz lead 1-0
After an incredibly slow start, the Washington Wizards continue to be one of the more surprising teams in the league as they have surged all the way to third place in the East and are essentially a lock to earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
And the Wizards have played exceptionally well of late as they’ve won three in a row including a statement win over the Cavaliers on Saturday in which Washington seemed to show just how dangerous they can be when clicking on all cylinders. All-Star point guard John Wall exploded for 37 points on 14-of-21 shooting in the contest and the Wizards proved that they’re indeed a legitimate threat.
However, last time Utah played Washington, the Jazz were the ones that looked like a true threat while the Wizards looked somewhat flustered. Utah’s defense held up exceptionally well and their offense was on point, allowing them to come away with a convincing 102-92 win on Washington’s home court where the Wizards have posted one of the best records in the league.
That's a wrap!!#UTAatWAS #takenote pic.twitter.com/j38Lb8Px8b
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 27, 2017
It was one of those performances that Jazz fans know all too well where it looks as if Utah has truly arrived. Unfortunately, more often than not this season, the Jazz have failed to be able to uphold that kind of consistency in some of their bigger games. And that’s a troublesome fact given that there’s no denying that every one of the Jazz’s remaining games will be absolutely crucial.
Thus, as the red hot Wizards come in to take on a slumping Jazz team, it will be vital for Utah to dig deep and find a way to replicate the performance they put up last time around in Washington. The nice thing is that the Wizards will come to Salt Lake City on the fourth game of a grueling five-game road trip so there is a good chance they will be somewhat fatigued.
Beyond that, I truly believe that part of the reason why the Jazz were able to so handily defeat Washington in the last meeting is due to the fact that Utah matches up very well against them. George Hill has experience defending Wall from his time as a Pacer and beyond Washington’s dynamic backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal, the Jazz (assuming they’re healthy) ought to have the edge at every other position.
Therefore, despite the fact that Washington has been on a roll of late and while there’s no doubting that they’re a better team than the Pelicans who I pinned to beat the Jazz this week, given the circumstances and the match-up, I’m going to select Utah as the winners in this one which would give them a regular season sweep of the Wizards.
My Prediction: Jazz Win
Final Score: Utah 101, Washington 92