FILE – Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz team high-fives Malik Beasley #5 after scoring against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of an NBA game at Footprint Center on November 26, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Malik Beasley scored 25 points from the bench and Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points with 7 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 120-112 win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.
Utah took a six-point lead after halftime but used a 13-0 scoreline midway through the second half to take control and claim a second straight win.
Collin Sexton, who returned to the Jazz team after missing seven games with a hamstring injury, sparked that game-changing surge. He scored the final five points of the third inning and finished with 18 points in the 17-minute limit.
Washington’s Bradley Beal led all scorers with 30 when shooting 13 of 20 and Kyle Kuzma, who played as a team at nearby University of Utah, scored 21.
The Wizards, which have lost for the 11th time in 12 games, are once again without Kristaps Porzingis due to a non-COVID illness.
Washington lost by shooting 56.1% to Utah’s 48.8%. The big difference lies outside the arc, where the Jazz hit 16 out of 35 3-pointers, including 4 each by Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen. Wizards made 7 out of 21 deep words.
Markkanen finished with 21 points for Utah, the only home team playing between three-game road trips. Rookie Walker Kessler scored a total of 12 points and 14 bounces in the win.
JC vs everyone#TakeNote | @jordanclarksons pic.twitter.com/5YR3XW0kNo
– Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 23, 2022
Corey Kispert (12 points) scored a half-court shot at the first-half whistle to give the Wizards a 66-60 lead after they overcame Utah’s five-point lead earlier in the second half.
Sexton scored five points in the final 11 seconds of the third inning, including a three-way whistle, to give the Jazz a three-point lead. The Jazz continued to skyrocket at the start of the fourth inning by scoring the first eight points – a shove from Kessler, followed by three from Beasley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Utah leads 101-90 after a 13-0 run.
Alexander-Walker’s treble a few minutes later gave Utah a 115-100 lead.
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