1st Quarter Report
Fortunes may be turning around for the Jazz after losing three in a row. They have jumped out to a quick 36-29 lead against the Wizards. The Jazz took a big hit to their ego on Tuesday, so a win here would be a pleasant pick-me-up.
If the Jazz keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 23-23 in no time. On the other hand, the Wizards will have to make due with a 7-37 record unless they turn things around.
Who’s Playing
Utah Jazz @ Washington Wizards
Current Records: Utah 22-23, Washington 7-36
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Capital One Arena — Washington, District of Columbia
- TV: KJZZ-TV 14
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $6.70
What to Know
The Utah Jazz will head out on the road to face off against the Washington Wizards at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Capital One Arena. Both teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for the Jazz and five for the Wizards.
It’s hard to win when you don’t work as a unit and rack up 14 fewer assists than your opponent, a fact the Jazz found out the hard way on Tuesday. They suffered a bruising 153-124 defeat at the hands of New Orleans. The Jazz were down 115-91 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.
The Jazz’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Collin Sexton, who scored 22 points along with seven assists, and Simone Fontecchio who scored 18 points.
Meanwhile, Washington came up short against Minnesota on Wednesday and fell 118-107.
Despite their defeat, the Wizards saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Deni Avdija, who scored 24 points along with six assists and six rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that’s the most points Avdija has scored all season.
Utah now has a losing record at 22-23. As for Washington, they bumped their record down to 7-36 with that loss, which was their seventh straight at home.
Thursday’s match is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: The Jazz have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 46.5 rebounds per game (they’re ranked second in rebounds per game overall). It’s a different story for the Wizards, though, as they’ve been averaging only 40.2 rebounds per game. Given the Jazz’s sizeable advantage in that area, the Wizards will need to find a way to close that gap.
Going forward, the Jazz are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by eight points. For those looking to play the spread, keep Utah in mind: they have a solid 27-18 record against the spread this season.
Odds
Utah is a big 8-point favorite against Washington, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Jazz, as the game opened with the Jazz as a 6.5-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 245 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Utah has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Washington.
- Dec 22, 2022 – Utah 120 vs. Washington 112
- Nov 12, 2022 – Washington 121 vs. Utah 112
- Dec 18, 2021 – Washington 109 vs. Utah 103
- Dec 11, 2021 – Utah 123 vs. Washington 98
- Apr 12, 2021 – Washington 125 vs. Utah 121
- Mar 18, 2021 – Washington 131 vs. Utah 122
- Feb 28, 2020 – Utah 129 vs. Washington 119
- Jan 12, 2020 – Utah 127 vs. Washington 116
- Mar 29, 2019 – Utah 128 vs. Washington 124
- Mar 18, 2019 – Utah 116 vs. Washington 95
