WASHINGTON (AP) – Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz scored their seventh win, crushing the Washington Wizards 123-98 on Saturday night.
Hassan Whiteside added 18 points and 14 rebounds as a reserve for the Jazz, which completed a perfect four-game road trip on the East Coast.
“It seems to me that we are a better team now than when we started the journey,” coach Quin Snyder said. “Maybe that’s what the competition does for you.”
Mitchell made four of nine shots from long range. Frenchman Gobert and Whiteside combined to hit 17 of 19 shots from the field, and Utah took control in the third quarter after trailing a point at halftime.
The Jazz entered Saturday three games behind Phoenix and Golden State, which share the top spot in the Western Conference.
“I think tonight, by the way we played on both ends of the court and by the mentality that we had, we showed that we are candidates,” Gobert said. “We improve in every room.”
Bradley Beal scored 21 points for the Wizards, who lost for the fourth time in five games and suffered their ninth loss in 14 games after a strong start to the season.
Daniel Gafford added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Washington.
–
