Coming off back-to-back wins versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs returned home on an eight-game winning streak to take on the Utah Jazz. However, De’Aaron Fox did not play due to adductor tightness. After both teams got off to a blazing start, the Spurs led 40-32 after the first quarter. Then, the Spurs went cold. The Jazz’s flame was still going strong, as they outscored the Spurs 38-20 in the second. With a 10-point deficit, the Spurs tried to spark momentum, but the Jazz answered with
buckets of their own. Trailing by 11 to start the fourth, the Spurs brought the Frost Bank Center back to life by going on a 14-2 run to tie the game at 106 apiece. However, the Jazz’s hot three-point shooting did not stop, and the Spurs shot themselves in the foot by continuously turning the ball over. Even with the momentum, the Spurs could not take the lead back, and the Jazz ultimately won 127-114.
Victor Wembanyama made his first start since November 14th and dropped 32 points (12-21 FG, 8-8 FT), seven rebounds, five blocks, and three assists. Even though he only played 27 minutes, Wemby made the most of his first start in over a month. After his historic block streak came to an end on Christmas Day, Wemby started a new one by swatting five shots. This is the dominant Wemby performance Spurs fans expect to see when he is in the starting lineup. Since this ended up as a loss, expect him not to slow down anytime soon.
Too easy! Stephon Castle finds Wemby cutting to the hoop for a wide-open jam!
REVERSE REVERSE! Wemby uses the off-ball screen from Julian Champagnie and finishes the lob pass from Dylan Harper with a reverse jam!
Just lob it up there! Wemby curls around Jusuf Nurkic and catches the high lob pass from Devin Vassell for an alley-oop jam!
Just lob it up there, again! This time, Dyl finds Wemby cutting to the hoop for an and-one alley-oop!
WEMBY AND-ONE POSTER! After Lauri Markannen falls for the pump fake, Wemby drives in and posterizes Kyle Filipowski for the and-one!
Keldon Johnson dropped a double-double: 27 points (10-15 FG, 5-7 3PT), 10 rebounds, and an assist off the bench. KJ was on fire from three-point land and continues to provide the spark for the Spurs off the bench. At this point in the season, it’s hard to ignore the Sixth Man of the Year case he’s building.
Corner Specialist! KJ pump fakes the defender for a wide-open corner three in the first!
Heat check! KJ knocks down the three on the fastbreak for his third three of the game!
Stephon Castle dropped 20 points, seven assists, two rebounds, and two steals. Steph got the start at point guard in place of Fox, and even though he dished out dimes, he also struggled. He turned the ball over four times, most of them being unforced errors. He also finished with a -30, which was by far the worst plus/minus on the team (next closest was Vassell at a -8.). Steph will be fine; he is just better suited as a combo guard for the foreseeable future.
TOUGH. Steph draws Brice Sensabaugh in the air and finishes through contact for the and-one!
King of the Castle! Steph drives past Nurkic and finishes over Sensabaugh at the rim!
Devin Vassell dropped 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a block. Dev struggled from the field, but provided the squad with solid defense. His versatility on the defensive end allows him to guard one through four. Expect him to bounce back against Cleveland, a team that he scorched from three earlier in the season.
Layup to a lob! Dev catches the ball in the paint and fools the defenders by lobbing it instead of shooting it for Luke Kornet to slam it home! Kornet finished with seven points, eight rebounds, an assist, and a block in his first game off the bench since Nov. 14th.
D3VIN VASS3LL. Beautiful ball movement by the Spurs results in a wide-open three from the top of the key from Dev!
Dylan Harper dropped seven points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, and three steals. A near triple-double off the bench for Dyl. Even though he struggled from the field, Dyl is fully capable of being this team’s point guard when Fox is out. His playmaking ability is light-years ahead for a rookie. It will remain curious to see if makes a start sometime this season.
Too open! Dyl draws a crowd and skips it over to a wide-open Carter Bryant in the corner, who knocks down the three! Carter got 14 minutes of playing time and defended well. With the inconsistent play of Harrison Barnes and the lack of playing time for Jeremy Sochan, he could be getting extra minutes sooner rather than later.
Speed Demon! Dyl speeds past everyone on the fastbreak and finishes with a wide-open layup!
ANOTHER POSTER! Dyl puts Filipowski in the torture chamber and slams it home for the and-one!
All in all, the Spurs did not deserve to win this game. The Jazz’s three-point shooting was a blistering 46%, and they took advantage of every Spurs mistake. Also, a player like Fox is important for closing time in the fourth. After an eight-game win streak, many fans needed a reminder of how quickly things can change when you least expect it. A humbling loss like this will only fuel this team, and it will also show them to respect their opponent no matter what.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at 7:00 P.M. (CST) on NBC/Peacock.
