Coming off a tough loss against the Houston Rockets, the Spurs traveled to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz. Luke Kornet did not play due to an adductor injury, and Lauri Markkanen did not play due to reconditioning. After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Spurs started the second quarter on a 15-0 run. They outscored the Jazz 34-22 in the quarter and took a 12-point lead into halftime. The Jazz mounted a comeback and tied the game, but the Spurs still held a seven-point lead going into the fourth. That lead quickly dissipated, and the game was tied once again with 10:28 remaining. Then, the Spurs finally locked in on both ends to shut the Jazz out. After a 9-0 run by the silver and black, the Jazz countered with bits of scoring. However, the lead kept growing, and De’Aaron Fox caught fire from three. The Spurs outscored the Jazz 29-17 in the quarter, closed the game on a 9-0 run, and ultimately won 126-109.
De’Aaron Fox led the way with 31 points (10-13 FG, 6-9 3PT, 5-6 FT), five rebounds, five assists, and a block. D-Fox dropped his highest scoring game since December 3rd versus Orlando, and most of his damage came in the fourth. The former Clutch Player of the Year cashed in 11 points in the quarter, including swishing three three-pointers in the span of two minutes. Without his clutch heroics, this young Spurs team may have once again struggled to close out a game in which they held a double-digit lead.
D3’AARON! D-Fox knocks down the corner three early in the first!
Victor Wembanyama dropped a double-double: 26 points (9-14 FG, 4-7 3PT, 4-4 FT) and 14 rebounds to go along with five blocks and three assists. After struggling against Houston, Vic shot efficiently from the field and was even better defensively. He recorded his first five-block game since December 27th against the Lakers. As far as the buckets go, Vic scored in the paint, from the midrange, from the three, and even converted all four of his free throws. Because of Kornet’s injury, Wemby played 33 minutes, which is the most he’s played since November 14th versus Golden State.
W3MBY! Vic gets his early scoring going with a three in the first!
AND-ONE! Wemby secures his own missed shot and fights through two defenders for the and-one!
AND-ONE: FOUR-POINT PLAY EDITION! Wemby drains the corner three and gets fouled by Jusuf Nurkic for the four-point play!
ALIEN BLOCK! Wemby barely has to jump to not only block Nurkic’s shot, but pin it off the glass for a corralled rebound all in one motion!
DEJA VU! Wemby snatches Kyle Filipowski’s shot out of mid-air for the block and rebound! He pulled out the NBA Street Vol.2 turbo block!
FROM THE OTHER CORNER! Wemby drains the transition three in front of the Jazz bench!
Keldon Johnson dropped 21 points, five assists, a rebound, a steal, and a block. KJ attempted a season-high 19 shots and drained nine of them. There was a stretch in the fourth quarter where Mitch Johnson deployed a small-ball lineup where KJ played center and guarded Nurkic. KJ held his own and drained buckets by cutting off screens and using his patented spin move, driving in the post. He is currently one of the favorites for Sixth Man of the Year.
KJ BIG BODY AND-ONE! After the block by Dylan Harper, the Spurs pushed the ball up the court in transition to a leaking KJ who fights through the contact from Cody Williams for the and-one!
Give that guy a map! Speaking of spin moves, KJ uses his spin move on Filipowski and drains the hook shot over him!
Julian Champagnie dropped 17 points (6-10 FG, 5-9 3PT), three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. After catching fire in Houston with 27 points on eight threes, Julian continued his hot shooting against the Jazz. He provided the Spurs with a scoring boost in the first quarter, swishing most of his threes. He has done an excellent job since Devin Vassell’s injury, and it looks like he may receive an invite to the 3-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend.
On the board! Julian scores the first points for the Spurs on a sniper three from the wing!
Corner Specialist! Ju knocks down his third three of the game from the corner!
Stephon Castle dropped 16 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals. Steph played a season-high 38 minutes and filled the stat sheet. Despite struggling from the field, he did a decent job limiting Utah’s guards from having an explosive game. Steph also got his money’s worth at the free-throw line, making seven of 10 attempts. It is clear Steph is still trying find consistency on his shot, but this team’s shooters will continue to give him assists.
Keeping them honest! Steph knocks down the three-pointer after the defender left too much space!
DAGGER TOMAHAWK! Steph leaks out for an explosive tomahawk jam!
Carter Bryant dropped seven points, four rebounds, an assist, and a block in just 13 minutes. The game is slowing down for Carter, as he showed a solid 3&D performance in a short burst. No matter who was in front of him, he showed no fear defensively. As far as the offense goes, he drained a three and pulled out this eurostep move on a fastbreak layup!
This was a nice bounce-back win for the silver and black. Even when it looked like the Spurs might blow another game in which they held a double-digit lead, the team buckled down defensively in the fourth and used their two best players on offense down the stretch. The Fox/Wemby pick-and-roll was deadly, and it might spark more usage for the rest of the season, especially in the fourth. Remember the cold streak of games where the Spurs could not buy a bucket from three? Well, 18 made threes against the Jazz has cemented a hot streak of at least 14 made threes in the last week.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs return home to take on the New Orleans Pelicans this Sunday at 6:00 P.M (CST) on FDSN-SW.
Evan Mobley
Cam Spencer
Jalen Pickett