It seems like a broken record or a television plot oft repeated. In familiar fashion, the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs had no problem with the Utah Jazz, running away with an easy 89-69 victory.
Why the Jazz lost: The Spurs played their trademark defense, hounding Utah on the perimeter and giving them all they could handle inside. When Utah managed to get good looks, which was a challenge all evening, the shots were not falling. The Jazz managed to eke out just 27 first-half points and their game total was their season-worst by 13 points.
Turning point: It is not a stretch to say the turning point occurred in the first quarter. Despite going down 10-2 early, Utah was staying with San Antonio early on. A Rudy Gobert put-back dunk cut the lead to 14-13. Then the 3-pointers starting falling. With sparkplug Patty Mills nailing a pair, followed by Manu Ginobili’s trey, the Spurs finished the quarter on a 9-2 run that set the tone for the rest of the evening.
What it means: One day, perhaps the tables will turn for the Spurs and the Jazz. But that day does not appear to be anytime soon. While their 26-16 record places them just seventh in the Western Conference landscape, the Spurs continue to contend and appear poised for one of their typical second-half-of-the-season runs. The Jazz, on the other land, will continue to look to San Antonio as an example as they continue their journey back to being a playoff team.
Grading the performance: The shooting was atrocious, to put it lightly. Nothing was going down for the Jazz — not even their free throws. Utah did crash the boards and while they had just 28 made field goals, it assisted on 23 of them. The Jazz also did some solid things defensively, blocking 13 shots and holding the Spurs to a 38.8 percent evening
Utah Jazz grade: C-
The Spurs did not have their finest outing, but they did not have to Sunday. Their 3-point shooting was excellent, they passed the ball well, kept turnovers low and swarmed on defense. San Antonio’s depth was on display, as they got contributions from many players. They blew out the Jazz, despite All-Star Tony Parker having just four points.
San Antonio Spurs grade: B
Three telling stats:
- How difficult a night was it for the Jazz? The team shot just 33.3 percent and six players shot below that percentage.
- The Spurs had a balanced attack, with five individuals in double-figures but no one exceeding 14 points. No San Antonio player played more than 30 minutes.
- Gobert corralled a career-high 18 rebounds, snatching 17 of them through the first three quarters. Despite that performance, San Antonio actually won the boarding battle 49-48.
Up next: The Jazz will continue on the road for much of this week, with the next tilt coming against LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers. While their season has been mired in ups and downs, their recent additions of Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert may inject some needed energy to their team. David Smith provides instant analysis for Deseret News' Utah Jazz coverage. He works for LDS Philanthropies and also writes for Salt City Hoops (ESPN's Jazz affiliate). He can be reached at mechakucha1@gmail.com or on Twitter at davidjsmith1232.