Despite another slow start, the Washington Wizards managed to gain momentum in the second half and coast to another home win over the Utah Jazz.

Utah Jazz 84 Washington Wizards 93

The Jazz have the second worst defensive rating in the NBA, just above the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Wizards struggled to find their rhythm early on. John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Paul Pierce seemed to be the only ones active on the offensive side of the floor, and the Jazz gained an advantage quickly in the first half.

Led by Wall, the Wizards turned it up defensively in the second half, and it didn’t take long for them to take the lead. Wall created turnovers, pushed the ball, and found Beal wide open on the perimeter. The back court combined for 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. Wall finished the game with 5 steals and 3 blocked shots. His effort on the defensive end of the floor was outstanding.

Paul Pierce added 15 points on 5-8 shooting, and really gave the Wizards a lift when their offense became stagnant. He’s becoming more comfortable with running in transition and it’s obvious in the way they’ve spaced the floor. With Beal and Pierce running along side John Wall, their transition offense becomes almost impossible to stop.

Marcin Gortat and Kris Humphries played their worst game of the season so far, scoring a combined 7 points on 3/12 shooting. Humphries wasn’t great, but he still helped defensively and took shots within the flow of the offense. Gortat forced shots in the post and was late on help defense on multiple occasions. These games are going to happen from time to time, but I was surprised that he struggled tonight, given how bad the Jazz are defensively.

While the starting front court struggled, Nene chipped in with 10 points off the bench. The second unit has run smoothly with Nene coming off the bench and it wouldn’t surprise if Randy Wittman keeps it that way. Andre Miller and Rasual Butler also added a combined 17 points off the bench.

When the offense isn’t’ clicking, the Washington Wizards have found ways to win with their defense. They’ve won every single game this season when holding their opponents below 100 points. John Wall has led the way on both sides of the floor and his growth defensively has been fun to watch. I joked, calling him Gary Payton remixed, but he’s been that good defensively over the past few games.

Beal is also starting to return to form after struggling, and I think he’s finally played the rust off. He’s hitting outside shots with regularity and the hesitation appears to be gone.

The Washington Wizards will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. After tonight’s win, they’ve improved to 17-6.