109 — 119
The third quarter was where Utah pulled away
The Jazz set the tone immediately, moving ahead 5-0 before San Antonio settled in. The Spurs did manage an early 8-8 tie on Julian Champagnie's jumper at 8:27 of the first quarter, but Utah answered that level stretch with more direct scoring around the rim and cleaner passing. By the end of the opening quarter, the Jazz were up 33-26, and San Antonio was already playing from behind in a game that never produced a lead change.
San Antonio stayed close through the second behind Harrison Barnes, Jordan McLaughlin and Keldon Johnson. Barnes piled up 19 points overall, many of them coming from the three-point line or the foul line, while McLaughlin gave the Spurs needed pace with 14 points and six assists. The quarter itself ended even at 35-35, which left Utah with a manageable 68-61 halftime lead rather than a runaway.
The separation arrived as soon as the third quarter began. Darryn Peterson scored at 10:45 and 9:43, Isaiah Collier hit a three at 7:50 to make it 75-62, and Peterson followed with another three at 6:51 for an 80-64 margin. Utah kept adding interior baskets after that, with Mo Bamba finishing an alley-oop layup at 7:25, an alley-oop dunk at 5:23, a tip shot at 4:05 and a short jumper plus free throw at 3:33. The Jazz won the period 31-17 and turned a competitive game into one they could manage.
Balance, paint scoring and active hands drove the Jazz
Utah's scoring spread was the clearest reason the lead held for so long. Peterson finished with 14 points and five assists. Keyonte George and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 13 each. Lauri Markkanen and Jaxson Hayes scored 11 apiece, and Collier matched them with 11 while also handing out five assists and collecting five steals. Brice Sensabaugh reached 11 off the bench, which meant the Jazz never had to lean on one player to carry the offence.
That balance showed up in the team numbers. Utah shot 51.7 per cent from the field, assisted on 26 baskets, scored 60 points in the paint and added 23 fast-break points. Bamba's 12-minute shift was especially productive: nine points, nine rebounds and an efficient finishing stretch in the third. Svi Mykhailiuk chipped in seven rebounds and two assists, while Ace Bailey contributed six points, six boards and three assists. Even without a single 20-point scorer, Utah kept producing useful possessions from several places.
The Jazz were just as disruptive defensively. They recorded 18 steals and turned San Antonio's 22 turnovers into 27 points. That pressure mattered because the Spurs did have shot-makers. Ja'Kobi Gillespie was outstanding in limited minutes, scoring 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 4-of-8 from three. Barnes had 19, Johnson scored 15, Champagnie added 14, and Tarris Reed Jr. grabbed 17 rebounds. But San Antonio still shot below 40 per cent overall and managed only 32 points in the paint, which left too much of the scoring burden on jump shooting and free throws.
Our take
Utah's best basketball in this game was uncomplicated and effective. The Jazz moved the ball well enough to reach 26 assists, they finished efficiently inside, and their active hands changed the game. That is a sturdy formula. The cautionary note is the finish: Utah committed 20 turnovers of its own and was outscored 31-20 in the fourth quarter. A team that builds a 26-point lead on a Collier layup with 7:11 left should be able to close with less drama than that.
San Antonio, for its part, showed more fight than the final margin suggests. Gillespie nearly made the last few minutes uncomfortable by drilling threes at 5:05, 4:15 and 3:49 of the fourth, and Jon Elmore's three at 1:28 cut the deficit to 114-107. That late burst is worth something, as is Reed's work on the glass. Still, the broader picture was harder to ignore: the Spurs never led, turned the ball over 22 times, and were beaten badly in interior scoring. If there is a practical takeaway from this game, it is not that San Antonio needs miracle shot-making. It is that cleaner possession management and stronger resistance around the basket would give those outside makes a better chance to matter.
Scoring moments
- 1st Quarter · 10:52
Jaxson Hayes makes free throw 2 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 10:37
Keyonte George makes 3-foot running dunk
- 1st Quarter · 10:10
Jaxson Hayes makes running layup (Lauri Markkanen assists)
- 1st Quarter · 9:56
Jordan McLaughlin makes 25-foot three pointer (Harrison Barnes assists)
- 1st Quarter · 9:27
Lauri Markkanen makes 27-foot three point jumper (Jaren Jackson Jr. assists)
- 1st Quarter · 9:09
Jordan McLaughlin makes driving layup
- 1st Quarter · 8:27
Julian Champagnie makes 24-foot running jump shot (Keldon Johnson assists)
- 1st Quarter · 8:13
Jaren Jackson Jr. makes 26-foot three point jumper (Darryn Peterson assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:39
Jaxson Hayes makes tip shot
- 1st Quarter · 7:27
Harrison Barnes makes 25-foot three pointer (Luke Kornet assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:05
Jaren Jackson Jr. makes 10-foot two point shot (Lauri Markkanen assists)
- 1st Quarter · 6:07
Keyonte George makes 12-foot pullup jump shot
- 1st Quarter · 5:45
Harrison Barnes makes 27-foot three point jumper (Keldon Johnson assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:29
Jaren Jackson Jr. makes 11-foot two point shot
- 1st Quarter · 5:15
Harrison Barnes makes 24-foot three point jumper (Tarris Reed Jr. assists)
- 1st Quarter · 4:44
Lauri Markkanen makes 1-foot running dunk (Ace Bailey assists)
- 1st Quarter · 4:20
Keyonte George makes running layup
- 1st Quarter · 3:25
Svi Mykhailiuk makes running layup
- 1st Quarter · 2:41
Jordan McLaughlin makes 9-foot two point shot (Keldon Johnson assists)
- 1st Quarter · 2:25
Jaxson Hayes makes 5-foot alley oop dunk (Ace Bailey assists)
- 1st Quarter · 1:59
Jaxson Hayes makes 3-foot dunk (Isaiah Collier assists)
- 1st Quarter · 1:40
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes 31-foot three pointer (Jordan McLaughlin assists)
- 1st Quarter · 1:21
Keldon Johnson makes running layup (Ja'Kobi Gillespie assists)
- 1st Quarter · 1:04
Ace Bailey makes 16-foot pullup jump shot (Isaiah Collier assists)
- 1st Quarter · 52.7
Keldon Johnson makes driving layup (Jordan McLaughlin assists)
- 1st Quarter · 36.9
Isaiah Collier makes driving layup
- 2nd Quarter · 11:27
Jaren Jackson Jr. makes driving layup (Brice Sensabaugh assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 11:16
Keldon Johnson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 11:16
Keldon Johnson makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 11:00
Brice Sensabaugh makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 10:02
Brice Sensabaugh makes running layup (Isaiah Collier assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 9:40
Isaiah Collier makes running layup
- 2nd Quarter · 9:30
Julian Champagnie makes 25-foot three point jumper (Jordan McLaughlin assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 9:00
Maliq Brown makes 23-foot three point jumper (Jordan McLaughlin assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 8:16
Brice Sensabaugh makes 25-foot three point jumper (Svi Mykhailiuk assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 8:00
Julian Champagnie makes driving layup (Jordan McLaughlin assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 7:49
Jaxson Hayes makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 7:49
Jaxson Hayes makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 7:29
Tarris Reed Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 7:08
Keyonte George makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 6:45
Keldon Johnson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 6:45
Keldon Johnson makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 5:59
Keldon Johnson makes two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 5:24
Darryn Peterson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 5:24
Darryn Peterson makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 5:08
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 5:08
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 5:01
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 5:01
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 4:47
Keyonte George makes 14-foot pullup jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 4:29
Keyonte George makes running layup (Ace Bailey assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 4:24
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 4:24
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 4:08
Jaren Jackson Jr. makes driving layup
- 2nd Quarter · 3:52
Darryn Peterson makes 1-foot running dunk (Keyonte George assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 3:40
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 3:40
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 3:30
Lauri Markkanen makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 3:30
Lauri Markkanen makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 3:06
Lauri Markkanen makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 3:06
Lauri Markkanen makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 3:00
Jordan McLaughlin makes 5-foot two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 2:22
Keldon Johnson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 2:22
Keldon Johnson makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 1:58
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 1:31
Jordan McLaughlin makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 1:13
Jaren Jackson Jr. makes 3-foot driving dunk
- 2nd Quarter · 1:02
Keldon Johnson makes 6-foot two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 47.3
Lauri Markkanen makes 19-foot pullup jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 36.8
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 36.8
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 30.0
Keyonte George makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 30.0
Keyonte George makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 16.8
Ace Bailey makes running layup (Darryn Peterson assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 0.0
Jordan McLaughlin makes 13-foot driving floating jump shot
- 3rd Quarter · 10:45
Darryn Peterson makes 12-foot driving floating jump shot
- 3rd Quarter · 9:43
Darryn Peterson makes 9-foot pullup jump shot
- 3rd Quarter · 8:04
Keldon Johnson makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 7:50
Isaiah Collier makes 23-foot three point jumper (Darryn Peterson assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 7:35
Jordan McLaughlin makes driving layup (Keldon Johnson assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 7:25
Mo Bamba makes 4-foot alley oop dunk (Isaiah Collier assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 6:51
Darryn Peterson makes 23-foot running jump shot (Isaiah Collier assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 6:29
Svi Mykhailiuk makes driving layup (Darryn Peterson assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 6:16
Julian Champagnie makes 26-foot three point jumper (Jordan McLaughlin assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 6:05
Darryn Peterson makes 9-foot two point shot
- 3rd Quarter · 6:05
Darryn Peterson makes free throw 1 of 1
- 3rd Quarter · 5:51
Harrison Barnes makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 5:32
Julian Champagnie makes 11-foot pullup jump shot (Ja'Kobi Gillespie assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 5:32
Julian Champagnie makes free throw 1 of 1
- 3rd Quarter · 5:23
Mo Bamba makes 3-foot alley oop dunk (Darryn Peterson assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 4:48
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes driving layup
- 3rd Quarter · 4:05
Mo Bamba makes tip shot
- 3rd Quarter · 3:49
Tarris Reed Jr. makes 4-foot dunk (Ja'Kobi Gillespie assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 3:33
Mo Bamba makes 9-foot two point shot
- 3rd Quarter · 3:33
Mo Bamba makes free throw 1 of 1
- 3rd Quarter · 3:28
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes driving layup
- 3rd Quarter · 3:28
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes free throw 1 of 1
- 3rd Quarter · 3:07
Ace Bailey makes 14-foot pullup jump shot (Mo Bamba assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 1:21
Isaiah Collier makes free throw 1 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 1:21
Isaiah Collier makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 38.5
Josh Okogie makes 25-foot three pointer (Mo Bamba assists)
- 4th Quarter · 11:49
Josh Okogie makes driving layup (Svi Mykhailiuk assists)
- 4th Quarter · 11:35
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes driving layup
- 4th Quarter · 10:26
Svi Mykhailiuk makes 24-foot running jump shot (Brice Sensabaugh assists)
- 4th Quarter · 9:30
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes driving layup
- 4th Quarter · 9:19
Brice Sensabaugh makes 26-foot three point jumper (Josh Okogie assists)
- 4th Quarter · 8:53
Tarris Reed Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 8:11
David Jones Garcia makes 8-foot driving floating jump shot
- 4th Quarter · 7:36
Brice Sensabaugh makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 7:36
Brice Sensabaugh makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 7:11
Isaiah Collier makes driving layup
- 4th Quarter · 7:03
Taelon Peter makes 23-foot three point jumper (David Jones Garcia assists)
- 4th Quarter · 5:46
David Jones Garcia makes driving layup (RJ Davis assists)
- 4th Quarter · 5:31
Jonas Aidoo makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 5:05
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes 30-foot three point jumper (Jon Elmore assists)
- 4th Quarter · 4:15
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes 25-foot three pointer (Jon Elmore assists)
- 4th Quarter · 3:49
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes 25-foot three point jumper (Jon Elmore assists)
- 4th Quarter · 3:01
Jonas Aidoo makes dunk
- 4th Quarter · 2:55
RJ Davis makes 24-foot three point step back jumpshot
- 4th Quarter · 2:28
RJ Davis makes running layup
- 4th Quarter · 1:28
Jon Elmore makes 24-foot running jump shot (RJ Davis assists)
- 4th Quarter · 1:18
Tamar Bates makes 24-foot three point jumper (Harrison Ingram assists)
- 4th Quarter · 49.9
Harrison Ingram makes 4-foot running pullup jump shot
- 4th Quarter · 36.7
Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes driving layup
San Antonio Spurs — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Barnes | 23 | 19 | 3-8 | 3-7 | 10-12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -13 |
| Keldon Johnson | 24 | 15 | 4-10 | 0-2 | 7-9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -7 |
| Julian Champagnie | 26 | 14 | 5-13 | 3-9 | 1-1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | -17 |
| Luke Kornet | 22 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | -16 |
| Jordan McLaughlin | 22 | 14 | 6-10 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -12 |
| David Jones Garcia | 14 | 4 | 2-8 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | -4 |
| Maliq Brown | 14 | 3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | -5 |
| Tarris Reed Jr. | 24 | 4 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 | +5 |
| Jon Elmore | 14 | 3 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +6 |
| RJ Davis | 15 | 5 | 2-8 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +8 |
| Taelon Peter | 17 | 3 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Ja'Kobi Gillespie | 25 | 25 | 9-14 | 4-8 | 3-3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | +7 |
Utah Jazz — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lauri Markkanen | 19 | 11 | 3-7 | 1-2 | 4-4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | +3 |
| Jaren Jackson Jr. | 18 | 13 | 6-8 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | +12 |
| Jaxson Hayes | 15 | 11 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Keyonte George | 16 | 13 | 5-7 | 0-1 | 3-4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | +7 |
| Darryn Peterson | 24 | 14 | 5-10 | 1-2 | 3-3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | +9 |
| Taylor Funk | 7 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -13 |
| Harrison Ingram | 7 | 2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -13 |
| Brice Sensabaugh | 15 | 11 | 3-7 | 2-5 | 3-4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | +7 |
| Mo Bamba | 12 | 9 | 4-4 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | +14 |
| Jonas Aidoo | 7 | 3 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | -13 |
| Svi Mykhailiuk | 19 | 7 | 3-6 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +18 |
| Josh Okogie | 11 | 5 | 2-4 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +9 |
| Josh Green | 11 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +9 |
| Trey Alexander | 7 | 0 | 0-4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -13 |
| Isaiah Collier | 22 | 11 | 4-7 | 1-2 | 2-4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +14 |
| Tamar Bates | 7 | 3 | 1-4 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -13 |
| Ace Bailey | 24 | 6 | 3-8 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +14 |
San Antonio Spurs — Team statistics
| FG | 35-89 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 39 |
| 3PT | 15-42 |
| Three Point % | 36 |
| FT | 24-33 |
| Free Throw % | 73 |
| Rebounds | 42 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 29 |
| Assists | 22 |
| Steals | 14 |
| Blocks | 4 |
| Turnovers | 22 |
| Team Turnovers | 0 |
| Total Turnovers | 22 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 27 |
| Fast Break Points | 10 |
| Points in Paint | 34 |
| Fouls | 21 |
| Largest Lead | 0 |
| Lead Changes | 0 |
| Percent Led | 0 |
Utah Jazz — Team statistics
| FG | 45-87 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 52 |
| 3PT | 9-23 |
| Three Point % | 39 |
| FT | 20-26 |
| Free Throw % | 77 |
| Rebounds | 47 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 9 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 38 |
| Assists | 25 |
| Steals | 18 |
| Blocks | 3 |
| Turnovers | 22 |
| Team Turnovers | 0 |
| Total Turnovers | 22 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 26 |
| Fast Break Points | 28 |
| Points in Paint | 60 |
| Fouls | 29 |
| Largest Lead | 26 |
| Lead Changes | 0 |
| Percent Led | 97 |