Wizards-Jazz Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO

(AP) -- As well as the Washington Wizards are playing, the Utah Jazz have been better.

Looking to open a four-game trip with a fifth consecutive victory, the Wizards try to prevent the Jazz from winning seven straight for the first time in four seasons Wednesday night.

Washington (39-28) has averaged 105.0 points and shot 51.2 percent during this four-game winning streak that followed a 4-13 stretch in which it scored 94.5 points per contest and hit 43.4 percent of its attempts. Bradley Beal scored 23 and John Wall had 21, 11 assists and nine rebounds in Monday's 105-97 win over Portland.

"I think we're back playing the way we're capable of playing," said Beal, who shot 8 of 13 and hit all four 3-point attempts after shooting 37.5 percent while averaging 12.3 points in the previous three contests.

Fifth in the Eastern Conference, the Wizards swept a three-game homestand to begin a stretch of seven straight against Western teams. They topped 100 points in all three after failing to do so in the previous seven.

Wall averaged 24.3 points on the homestand and totaled 23 assists in the last two.

Washington has allowed an average of 91.6 points and 41.9 percent shooting in the last 10 contests.

The Wizards, however, embark on a trip that begins against the league's hottest team and includes dates with the Los Angeles Clippers and league-leading Golden State.

"We know going out west is going to be tough," Beal said. "It starts in Utah. It's a challenge with them and hopefully we start it off on the right tone."

Though Washington snapped a nine-game road skid with a 95-69 victory at Charlotte on March 9 and won 93-84 over the Jazz (30-36) on Dec. 14, it's dropped three straight and seven of eight at Utah. However, the last two trips were decided by a combined seven points.

Beal scored 22 in each of the last two home meetings with the Jazz, but combined for 26 in the two most recent trips to Utah.

While the Jazz have won 13 of 16 and are seeking to win seven straight for the first time since Nov. 20-Dec. 1, 2010, they're 11th in the West and 6 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot.

"That's how it is in the West," said forward Gordon Hayward, who had 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting at Washington. "There's nothing we can do about that."

Utah could be in better position had it not started 6-19, but can only focus on finishing strong.

"Pretty much everybody's doing what they can to help us win," Hayward said. "We're really being competitive right now. Which is something that maybe a lot of teams that are young or down so many games from the playoffs can easily say 'forget it.'"

Utah extended its season-high home winning streak to five games with a 94-66 rout of Charlotte on Monday. Two games after scoring a career-high 20 points, rookie Rodney Hood had 24 and second-year center Rudy Gobert recorded 22 boards for the second time in three contests.

The 7-foot-1 Gobert has averaged 17.0 rebounds in the last nine games.

Among the NBA's top defensive teams and fresh off allowing their fewest points of the season, the Jazz have yielded an average of 81.9 points and 38.5 percent shooting while outrebounding opponents by an average of 11.1 boards in winning nine of 10.