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Oklahoma City • Winning on the road is what separates the good teams from the pretenders in the NBA.
The teams near the top of the standings tend to be the ones that can find success anywhere, and the Utah Jazz are becoming one of those teams.
"We're guarding people and we're playing well defensively," Utah small forward Gordon Hayward said. "That's giving us a chance wherever we play, and whether we're making shots or not. When we have those runs where we can't seem to put the ball in the basket, we're still in the game. That's been huge for us."
The Jazz are 17-11 on the road, which is the fourth best record in the league.
A chunk of those victories have come recently. The Jazz have won four of their last five games on the road, with the one loss coming to the Dallas Mavericks on the tail end of a back-to-back, and only after blowing a 20-point lead in the second half. All four victories have come by double-digits.
That's part of a bigger run. The Jazz have won six of eight away from home, and Utah's two biggest victory margins this season have come at Atlanta (25 points) and New Orleans (34 points).
The Jazz lately have been playing their best basketball on the road. Utah is 20-11 at Vivint Smart Home Arena but has lost four of its last five at home.
Is Utah doing anything different? Players say the mindset is the same. The Jazz stand at 37-22 overall, with 11 losses at home and another 11 on the road.
"I think we've been focused on the road," Utah forward Derrick Favors said. "We've played some good teams and have had some important games on the road. We've stuck to the gameplan and not worried about the crowd noise and things we can't control. We've come out and we've been ready to play. And the coaches have done a good job of preparing us."
Utah's most recent road win, a 102-92 conquest of the Washington Wizards, is arguably its most impressive. The Jazz dominated from the first quarter on to defeat a Wizards team featuring one of the best offenses in the NBA and currently third in the Eastern Conference.
It isn't easy beating the Wizards at the Verizon Center. They entered Sunday with a 24-7 home record, which is the third most home wins in the NBA. But the Jazz swarmed Washington defensively. Then they used a balanced offense to open a huge lead and capped it with Hayward taking over in the fourth quarter.
"Beating Washington, that's a big win," Utah center Rudy Gobert said. "We've been watching this team, and they've been great at home. We knew it was going to be a big challenge and it shows that we're ready for playing against anybody."
Speaking of challenges, the road doesn't get easier for the Jazz. Nine of Utah's 16 games are away from home in March. Those games include at the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
That's quite the challenge. Even for a team that's proving to be road warriors.
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Road warriors
• The Jazz scores at least 120 points in back-to-back road games for the first time since 1984 in defeating the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans earlier this month.
• Utah's marquee road wins this season include at the San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards.
• The Jazz have 23 games remaining, including 10 on the road against playoff teams.
Utah Jazz at Oklahoma City Thunder
When • 6 p.m. MST Tuesday
Where • Chesapeake Arena, Oklahoma City
TV • ROOT Sports
Radio • 1280 AM; 97.5 FM
Records • Utah 37-22; Oklahoma City 34-25
Last meeting • Oklahoma City won 97-95 (Jan. 24)
About the Jazz • All five Jazz starters scored at least 10 points in Sunday's win at the Washington Wizards. … Utah's Rodney Hood missed the previous matchup between the two teams due to injury. … The season series is tied at 1-1. Both remaining games will be in Oklahoma City. … The Jazz will be aiming for their fourth consecutive victory
About the Thunder • Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook has 29 triple-doubles this season. … OKC is one of the best rebounding teams in the league. The Thunder average 46 boards a game, third in the NBA. … OKC shooting guard Victor Oladipo has missed two games with back spasms. … The Thunder traded for Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott last week, acquiring both from the Chicago Bulls.