Don’t look now but the Utah Jazz are in a three-way tie for 3rd place in the West. With a win against the Washington Wizards they’d be tied with the Clippers for second. Getting a 9th win in a row would be big.

Yes, the Wizards are 13-25. But they’ve had a surprisingly good offensive season. Right now they have the 9th ranked offense in the league. They can definitely score. And it wasn’t that long ago that the Jazz were on a disastrous road trip that left the team wondering if it was the contender everyone predicted it would be.

For Utah to continue streaking, they have to play defense and score on a team that is ranked last in the league in defense.

Game Info

When: Sunday January 12th, 2020 • 1:30 PM MT

Where: Capital One Arena • Washington, DC

TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain

Radio: 97.5 FM | 1280 AM The Zone, 96.9 FM THE GAME

What to watch for

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Can the Jazz stifle the Wizards from the start?

Against the Charlotte Hornets Rudy Gobert established his dominance from the start and the game was over before halftime. If the Jazz can stop the Wizards early, they should be able to get another big lead.

That just got a bit more difficult as Davis Bertans returned on Friday for the Wizards helping them get the victory. He was a +21 off the bench. Bertans’ shooting has been a revelation for the Wizards this season. He’s shooting 43% from three on 8.6 shots per game. The Jazz can’t let Bertans go off and so stopping him should be one of their top priorities.

Mandatory Highlight

Game Thread Ground Rules

Welcome to the SLC Dunk Game Thread.

Dunkers know how this thing works, but for you lurkers ready to make the jump to Dunker, we have a few guidelines. Remember to follow our community guidelines (no swearing, trolling, excessive use of Jerry Sloan’s name in vain, no personal attacks, no debates about Utah liquor laws, etc.). Remember to have fun. Anyone who dare blasphemes that Tim Duncan was a Power Forward (this means you, Pounding the Rock), Ben Simmons can hit threes, Gordon Hayward should not be booed, Donovan Mitchell is Monta Ellis 2.0, men should never cry, or John Stockton is not the best point guard of all-time will receive an automatic ban. Just kidding. But seriously.