• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Jazz hope to move closer to division title

Mar 31, 2008 - 1:36 PM Washington (38-35) at Utah (48-26) 9:00 pm EDT

SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) - The Utah Jazz hope to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time in over three months Monday when they host the Washington Wizards.

Coming off Sunday's 110-103 setback at Minnesota, the Jazz will try to avoid their first losing streak since back-to-back losses against the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics on December 28-29.

Utah would seem to be in the right place to get back to its winning ways since it is an NBA-best 32-4 at home.

The Jazz, who play five of their last eight games at home, hold a slim 2 1/2-game lead over the Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division. Utah is fourth overall in the competitive Western Conference.

Washington has split the first four games of its five-game road trip which concludes with this contest. The Wizards are fifth in the weak Eastern Conference, but just 1 1/2 games ahead of seventh-place Philadelphia.

This contest should present a major challenge for the Wizards, who endured a tough 126-120 overtime loss to the Lakers on Sunday night. Rookie Nick Young scored 27 points a season-high 27 points in the setback.

Mehmet Okur had 27 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Jazz to a 96-87 win at Washington on February 1.