WASHINGTON — John Wall had 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and the Washington Wizards overcame a sluggish start Sunday night to put away the slumping Utah Jazz, 93-84.
Wall also had five steals and three blocks, Bradley Beal scored 22 points, and Paul Pierce added 15 for the Wizards, who nearly succumbed to a letdown game after their big win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Washington committed 12 first-half turnovers against the Jazz, but Wall, Beal and Nene led a third-quarter surge, and Andre Miller's driving layup in the first minute of the fourth quarter produced the game's first double-digit lead.
Alec Burks scored 19 points, and Gordon Hayward had 16 for the Jazz, who have lost 11 of 12.
The Wizards have won four straight — the longest current winning streak in the Eastern Conference — and seven of eight.
Utah, taking advantage of Washington's careless ball-handling, led by seven late in the second quarter, but teams reversed roles in the second half: The Jazz committed 10 turnovers after the break, while the Wizards had just three.
Beal's 3-pointer midway through the third quarter gave Washington the lead for good. Wall followed with a fast-break dunk and later had a steal-and-layup to get the lead to five.
Nene and Miller came off the bench to keep the momentum. Nene went 5 for 8 from the field to finish with 10 points. Miller was 5 for 6 and also scored 10.
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