Marcin Gortat had 22 points and 10 rebounds and John Wall added 17 points and 11 assists to help the Washington Wizards beat the Utah Jazz 103-89 on Thursday night.
Rescheduled from Jan. 23 because of a snowstorm, the game was first of three in three days for Washington following the All-Star break.
Hours before the start, the Wizards acquired forward Markieff Morris from Phoenix at the trade deadline in an attempt to boost their playoff hopes. Tenth-place Washington improved to 24-28 to move within 2 1/2 games of Charlotte for the eighth and final Eastern Conference spot.
Bradley Beal and Nene each scored 16 points for the Wizards.
Gordon Hayward scored 19 points and Rodney Hood added 18 points for Utah. At 26-27, the Jazz are percentage points behind Houston for the final playoff spot in the West.
The Jazz committed a season-high 23 turnovers. They also made a deadline deal, picking up backup point guard Shelvin Mack from Atlanta.
Washington led the entire second half, sealing it with a 15-4 fourth-quarter run.
Gortat scored seven points in that stretch, converting a three-point play off Wall's bounce pass feed right before Beal's floater made it 102-83.
DEADLINE DAY
Jazz: To get Mack, Utah sent the Hawks a second-round pick.
Mack averaged 3.9 points, 1.6 assists and 7.5 minutes in 24 games this season. He's shooting a career-low 14.8 percent from 3-point range, but fits the Jazz's search for point guard depth since Dante Exum tore his ACL during the summer.
"He's an intelligent player," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder, who was his assistant coach in Atlanta. "For him to be effective and help us, he's got to find a role within our group, and I think he's capable of doing that."
Wizards: Washington picked up Morris from Phoenix a week after he scuffled with Suns teammate Archie Goodwin.
Phoenix received a first-round draft pick and forwards Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair in exchange for Morris, ending the forward's tumultuous tenure in Phoenix. That also included a two-game suspension in December after he threw a towel at since-fired coach Jeff Hornacek.
Speaking to reporters while riding a hoverboard on his way out of the Suns' arena Thursday, Morris expressed his thanks to that team and said: "I'm just ready to move on."
TIP-INS
Jazz: Reserve G Trey Burke returned after flu-like symptoms forced him to miss Utah's final three games before the All-Star break. ... Utah sank to 4-8 in the first game of back-to-back sets.
Wizards: Veteran G Alan Anderson (ankle surgery) came out of Wednesday's practice "fine" according to coach Randy Wittman, as he gets closer to making his Wizards debut ... G Gary Neal (sore right leg) missed his third straight game.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host Boston on Friday night
Wizards: Host Detroit on Friday night.
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