Jazz stretch NBA win streak to nine by toppling Wizards
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 10: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards slips while dribbling around Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz in the first half at Capital One Arena on January 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP
Croatia’s Bojan Bogdanovic scored 31 points as the Utah Jazz won their ninth straight game with a 127-116 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
Frenchman Rudy Gobert finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, one of a half-dozen players who finished in double figures for Utah, which improved to 27-12 on the season.
The Jazz tightened up their defense in the second half to knock the Wizards off their game, then pulled it out in the final quarter.
Jordan Clarkson added 23 points off the bench and Joe Ingles chipped in 20 for the Jazz, who are now 14-1 in their last 15 games.
Gobert made three dunks over a two-minute stretch after Washington cut the deficit to 111-108 on a driving layup from American Bradley Beal with 3:32 left.
Beal scored 25 points to lead the Wizards. Davis Bertans scored 18 points, Jordan McRae added 16 and Ian Mahinmi chipped in 15 for the Wizards, who lost for the second time in five games.
Beal was back in the lineup after missing several games with injuries.
Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz missed his first game of the season while recovering from an illness.
In New York, Taj Gibson made a clutch free throw with 98 seconds left to give New York the lead for good as the Knicks stormed back from a 14-point deficit in the second half to beat the Miami Heat 124-121.
Julius Randle score a game-high 26 points to lead seven players in double figures for the Knicks, who snapped a five-game losing streak
