Wizards at Jazz
The Utah Jazz struggled through a stretch of four losses in five games and dealt with some internal angst led by center Rudy Gobert but seem to have turned a corner with two straight wins. The Jazz will try to make it three in a row and move one step closer to locking up homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs when they host the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Gobert called out his teammates after a 108-95 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday but cleared the air at a team meeting the next day and led the charge with averages of 18 points and 17 rebounds in the last two games. "When Rudy scores, it’s a reflection of how we’re being defended," Utah coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "So part of the reason Rudy’s scoring, he’s a different type of scorer when he makes baskets it's different than Rodney (Hood) making jump shots. ... The biggest thing is for us to be efficient when we find him and make the right decisions with where we go with the ball." The Wizards are battling through a tough road trip and had a four-game winning streak come to an end with a 133-124 setback at the Clippers on Wednesday. Washington occupies the No. 3 spot in the East - one game ahead of fourth-place Toronto - but is close enough to the top to still hold out hope for the No. 1 spot with seven games left in the regular season.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (46-29): Washington is struggling on the defensive end and needed a big comeback in the fourth quarter to beat the lowly Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday before allowing the Clippers to shoot 56.6 percent from the floor the next night. The Wizards still had a chance to win that game thanks to All-Star point guard John Wall, who delivered 41 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Wall is on fire of late and is averaging 37.3 points on 63.8 percent shooting in the last three games.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (46-29): Utah got some help for Gobert on Wednesday, when All-Star small forward Gordon Hayward (quad) returned from a one-game absence and scored 20 points in 33 minutes. A healthy Hayward should help the Jazz navigate a finishing stretch that includes six of the final seven regular-season games against teams in the top eight of their respective conferences, including two games against San Antonio and one at Golden State. Hayward is getting outside scoring support of late from Hood, who went 5-of-5 from 3-point range on Wednesday and is 9-of-12 from beyond the arc in the last two contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Jazz PG George Hill (groin) sat out Wednesday and is day-to-day.
2. Wizards SG Bradley Beal scored 27 or more points in three of the last five games.
3. Utah took the last two meetings, including a 102-92 triumph at Washington on Feb. 26.