Jazz 120, Wizards 108: 3 Winners, 1 Loser

Collin Sexton shows out in first game back for the Utah Jazz.

Backup point guard Collin Sexton scored 18 points in just 17 minutes in his first game back since injuring his hamstring to help the Utah Jazz defeat the Washington Wizards, 120-108.

Washington guard Bradley Beal led all scorers with 30 points in a losing effort. Neither team could create any separation in the first half, as there were 16 lead changes and seven ties at the intermission. 

But it was the Jazz that outscored Washington 22-10 in a seven-minute stretch in the final quarter to deliver the knockout blow and improved to 19-16 on the year.

As usual, there were winners and losers in Utah’s last game before the Christmas break. Let’s dive in.

Winner: Collin Sexton

Although Sexton was on a minute restriction in his first game back, the fifth-year pro was still able to make a significant impact on the outcome of the contest. Not only did he score 18 points on just seven field goal attempts, but he helped energize a crowd that was subdued most of the night. 

In the last 11.1 second of the third quarter, Sexton had the crowd on its feet by scoring five points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer to put the Jazz up for good, 93-90. Sexton talked about his first game back in his post-game interview.

“It felt good, it felt fun. I was excited to be back tonight and help my guys anyway possible tonight," Sexton said. “I was doing everything I can, especially on the defensive end. I feel like when I play hard on defense, that gets me going on offense for sure.”

Loser: Talen-Horton Tucker

Out of the gates this year, 'THT' had a firm grip on his spot in the rotation. But a combination of uneven play and the emergence of Nickeil Alexander-Walker has Horton-Tucker on the outside looking in. 

That being said, it's still puzzling that veteran Rudy Gay still gets 15-20 minutes per game over players that need minutes to develop, like THT and Simone Fontecchio. At some point, head coach Will Hardy should be asked his logic on why Utah’s most ineffective player is still getting run.

Winner: Jazz Bench

Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson usually grab the headlines, but it’s the bench scoring creating the separation that made the difference. Utah’s bench outscored Washington’s 53-31, led by Malik Bealey with 25 points. 

Sexton and Beasley are high-volume scorers that would be starting for most teams and were too much to handle for Washington’s backups.

Winner: Jazz Second-Half Defense

Utah limited the Wizards to 46 second-half points, which included just 22 in the fourth quarter. Hardy felt like that was the difference in the game.

“Defensive intensity, physicality, communication were all better in the second half," Hardy said. “Showed resolve of the group. Collin's energy was infectious, getting into Beal. Then Nickeil guarding him after that. There was a wear-down effect."

The defense has been Utah’s Achilles heel this year, as the Jazz rank 26th in the NBA in defensive rating. If Utah can somehow get to the middle of the pack in that stat, then expect a playoff berth moving forward.

---

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream podcasts!