For us, winning a game right now, given how hard our team's been working, how hard we've been honest with ourselves about the things we need to do to improve, so to be rewarded for that, on whatever level, with a win is a good thing. – Jazz coach Quin Snyder
SALT LAKE CITY — For the record, this will go down in the books as one win for the Utah Jazz.
Sure, it's one great, big, exciting victory over a San Antonio team that most folks figured the Jazz wouldn't be able to beat — and rightfully so. But the bottom line is, it still just counts as one win in the standings.
That said, though, the Jazz and their fans will be hoping it might signal a turning point, perhaps a good omen of, hopefully, better days ahead for this struggling ballclub.
After all, Tuesday night's 100-96 victory over the defending NBA champion Spurs not only snapped Utah's woeful nine-game losing streak — its longest skid since March 2005 — but it came with a gritty gut-check performance down the stretch against a savvy San Antonio team that has shown many, many times over the years that it certainly knows how to win in crunch time.
The Jazz, meanwhile, are still trying to learn how to do that.
But perhaps Tuesday's win could go a long way toward helping this young Utah team make some progress on that difficult learning curve.
If not, well, then maybe it'll just go down as somewhat of a fluke — much like that proverbial blind squirrel that finds an acorn once in a while.
"For us, winning a game right now, given how hard our team's been working, how hard we've been honest with ourselves about the things we need to do to improve," Utah coach Quin Snyder said, "so to be rewarded for that, on whatever level, with a win is a good thing.
"I think any win's a good win. Obviously they're playing without a couple guys (star point guard Tony Parker, along with big man Tiago Splitter and backup guard Patty Mills). I don't think that diminishes that fact for us.
"It's also true that on occasion, at least, hopefully more than on occasion, having your work, your effort and your direction affirmed in some way, shape or form with a win is a good thing," he said.
Derrick Favors had 21 points and eight rebounds; Gordon Hayward added 20 points, seven boards and four assists; Alec Burks banged in 14 points; and Enes Kanter contributed 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds as Utah (6-16) put a notch in its win column for the first time since Nov. 18.
"What a win, man," Kanter, Utah's fourth-year center, said excitedly. "We needed that so bad. But seriously, though, we needed that so bad."
Yes, Enes, everyone knows that.
"We just have to keep this going and play the same basketball and play with the same pace and energy," said Kanter. "I think it's going to be fine if we keep playing with this energy."
For San Antonio (15-6), which had won 10 of its previous 11 games, ageless Tim Duncan scored a game-high 23 points and had 14 rebounds and four blocked shots. Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 16 points, Danny Green and Marco Belinelli had 13 apiece and Manu Ginobili had 10 — but the future Hall of Famer struggled through an uncharacteristic 3-of-17 shooting night.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who got ticked off, T'd up and tossed after coming out onto the floor to express his displeasure with a call late in the third quarter, gave the Jazz and Snyder, who formerly coached San Antonio's D-League team, all the credit for pulling out the win.
"I thought the Jazz did a great job tonight," he said. "I thought they were very aggressive. I thought they were patient, they executed well. They played better than we did in almost every facet of the game. They looked really good and they deserved to win, for sure.
"They're going to be a fine basketball team. Management knows what it's doing. Quin's great knowing what to do as a coach. They have a good staff, good young players, great character. They're only going to get better."
Utah led by a point at halftime and stretched its lead to 78-72 at the end of the third quarter following Popovich's technical foul-earning outburst.
Then, clinging to an 81-80 lead early in the fourth period, Hayward sparked a 12-2 spurt that pushed the Jazz lead to 11, 93-82, with 3:34 remaining.
And despite some shaky foul shooting down the stretch — the Jazz had hit 13 of their first 14 free throws, then made just 3 of 8 in the final 51.3 seconds — they held on for the much-needed victory.
"You see some things that are getting better," Snyder said of the slump-busting victory. " ... That's something to build on and you see that and you know your guys have an understanding of what you want them to be.
"I have challenged Gordon more than anybody recently, very directly and very passionately, and that's something he's received and it hasn't always been sugar-coated. But give him a lot of credit for taking that challenge not just for himself but for the group.
"I don't think for me to read too much into the circumstances of the win as much as the fact that our team's been working their tails off it, and it's good to be rewarded on some level for that energy, that work and that committment," he said. "When you're struggling to get a win, it erodes a lot, your confidence erodes. Together it's hard; adversity splits you apart, and these guys have stayed together.
"It's going to be good for them to remember that, because we'll have another losing streak — everybody does — hopefully it's not a long one, but it'll come. ... I thought they had poise and that was good to see. I thought they kept their composure."
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