Before you know it, Washington's Wizards are back on a 14-game losing streak and have become the belly of the bullied league. And during this period, the magical teenager Poole was actually relegated to the bench. But we have to admit that the Wizards' successive losses have nothing to do with Poole. Although he lost his tactical position as the core of the starter, he was able to show a big heart in the process of coming off the bench. For example, in the previous game against the Lakers, he scored 34 points and 7 assists in a single game, effectively relieving the scoring pressure for the team.
And in this game, Poole continued to play off the bench, and the Wizards came to Utah City to challenge the Jazz. To be sure, the Jazz have struggled this season, and although Markkanen and Sexton have shown All-Star level competition, the team's overall roster depth is still not ideal. So far this season, they have only a 27-34 record and are in 11th place in the West. And this time at home, the Jazz were able to stabilize the situation and win the final victory with a total score of 127-115.
In the first quarter of the game, the Wizards who were fighting away from home entered the state decisively, thus taking the initiative to lead the score. Poole, who came off the bench, performed well, 3 of 3 three-pointers in the single quarter, 1 of 1 free throws, contributed 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal, Jones, who started the game, also contributed 8 points, and Kuzma, who handed over 6 points and 5 assists, actually took a 6-point lead with a score of 41-35. Entering the second quarter of the matchup, the Jazz, who were behind in the score, were also able to score 39-34 with the help of Sexton's 9 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal, and Clarkson's 16-point score, narrowing the gap to 1 point.
Yibian fought again, and the Jazz, who had achieved good results in chasing points, could further achieve a reversal of the score. In the third quarter of the game, Clarkson showed his might again, contributing 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, and Collins also had 7 points and 5 rebounds, continuing to score 28-26 and achieve a one-point lead. In the final quarter of the decisive game, the Wizards not only did not chase points, but fell into a scoring drought, and the team only contributed 14 points in a single quarter. Therefore, the Jazz, who seized the opportunity, played a score of 25-14 and won the final victory with a total score of 127-115.
After losing this game, the Wizards also fell into the haze of 15 consecutive losses, becoming the team with the worst record in the entire league. But looking at the data of the game, some players on the Wizards team still performed relatively well. During this period, Poole proved his worth once again after coming off the bench, playing 29 minutes, shooting 6-of-10 from three-point range and 11-of-18 from the field, scoring a team-high 32 points. Kuzma also had 23 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, as well as Avdija, who handed over 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists, and Jones, who handed over 21 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
On the other hand, on the side of the Jazz team who won at home, although only three players on their team scored double-doubles, they ushered in outbreaks one after another. Sexton played 34 minutes, shooting 4-of-7 from three-point range and delivering 29 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, while starting center Collins also had a luxurious double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds. And Clarkson, who came off the bench, even contributed 38 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in 36 minutes of luxury quasi-triple-double, playing the style of a bench bandit.