The San Antonio Spurs took a small hit against the Rockets – because nobody wins forever, and at some point you have to drop a game along the way. That is precisely why the matchup against the Jazz mattered so much for Victor Wembanyama and company. In the all-Texas showdown, a few cracks had shown, especially given it was a key clash between two Western Conference heavyweights and against an opponent that caused real problems defensively, largely due to the enormous impact Kevin Durant had when guarding the French giant. With the back-and-forth ongoing, the priority was clear: get back to winning ways as quickly as possible. On one hand, to secure second place in the standings. On the other, to avoid costly slips that could drag the Spurs into the congested pack just below them – a logjam of extraordinary proportions.
Before the loss to Houston, San Antonio had put together three straight wins, all at home, offering a brief sense of relief – the closest thing to calm the NBA ever allows, especially with just under three months to go before the playoffs begin. The Texans traveled to Salt Lake City to face a Utah Jazz side among the league’s weakest, stuck in no man’s land with little hope in either the present or the future. And knowing a win was essential to keep building momentum and grab a short breather ahead of a Sunday-night-into-Monday game against another seemingly manageable opponent, the New Orleans Pelicans. Two games that had to go their way before a demanding week in which they would play four times. There was no alternative – winning was mandatory to stay in the fight.
They were heavy favorites, but that never guarantees anything. The Jazz are the kind of dangerous team at this stage of the season – a classic nothing-to-lose opponent always eager to spring a surprise. Without the injured Lauri Markkanen, who would again miss out against San Antonio, Utah leaned on Keyonte George, one of the revelations of the season, though he too arrived less than 100 percent. On paper, everything favored the Texans – but the more positives you pile up, the harsher an upset can be. That was the backdrop: the West’s second-best team against the conference’s third-worst, with the recent memory of San Antonio’s Martin Luther King Day win at home still fresh. A game dominated by Wembanyama, but with a collective performance that convinced no one entirely.
In the end, the Spurs conquered Utah, 126–109, with the NBA’s unicorn once again leading the way. Almost effortlessly and with startling ease, the Frenchman posted 26 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and five blocks to tilt the game decisively, as his team bided its time early before breaking clear in the second quarter (a 34–22 run) and building leads of up to 17. Wembanyama was ably supported by De’Aaron Fox, who poured in 31 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 6-of-9 from three, adding five rebounds and five assists. That proved enough against a Jazz side for whom the efforts of Ace Bailey (26 points on 11-of-16 shooting) and George (23) were not sufficient. In the end, the better team won – as usually happens, especially when the gap in quality is this wide. The Spurs keep their date with history, while Wembanyama makes it clear that, for him, the sky really is the limit.
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Utah Jazz
|
19
Ace Bailey |
|
5
Cody Williams |
|
30
Jusuf Nurkić |
|
3
Keyonte George |
|
10
Svi Mykhailiuk |
|
2
Kyle Anderson |
|
13
Walter Clayton Jr. |
|
8
Isaiah Collier |
|
22
Kyle Filipowski |
|
0
Taylor Hendricks |
|
42
Kevin Love |
|
28
Brice Sensabaugh |
| Min | Pts | TR | OR | DR | Ast | Los | Rec | Blk | S1 | S2 | S3 | RF | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
19
Ace Bailey |
32 | 25 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 9/13 | 2/3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
5
Cody Williams |
22 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 4/7 | 1/2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
30
Jusuf Nurkić |
34 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2/3 | 6/13 | 1/6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
3
Keyonte George |
35 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5/5 | 3/10 | 4/5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
10
Svi Mykhailiuk |
18 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 3/3 | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
2
Kyle Anderson |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
13
Walter Clayton Jr. |
24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 0/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
8
Isaiah Collier |
20 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/6 | 1/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
22
Kyle Filipowski |
18 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
0
Taylor Hendricks |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
42
Kevin Love |
13 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 1/1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
28
Brice Sensabaugh |
20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2/2 | 0/2 | 0/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
San Antonio Spurs
|
40
Harrison Barnes |
|
30
Julian Champagnie |
|
1
Victor Wembanyama |
|
5
Stephon Castle |
|
4
De’Aaron Fox |
|
18
Bismack Biyombo |
|
11
Carter Bryant |
|
2
Dylan Harper |
|
3
Keldon Johnson |
|
0
Jordan McLaughlin |
|
8
Kelly Olynyk |
|
10
Jeremy Sochan |
|
43
Lindy Waters III |
| Min | Pts | TR | OR | DR | Ast | Los | Rec | Blk | S1 | S2 | S3 | RF | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
40
Harrison Barnes |
21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
30
Julian Champagnie |
33 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 5/9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
1
Victor Wembanyama |
32 | 26 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4/4 | 5/7 | 4/7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
5
Stephon Castle |
37 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7/10 | 3/9 | 1/3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
4
De’Aaron Fox |
35 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5/6 | 4/4 | 6/9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
18
Bismack Biyombo |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
11
Carter Bryant |
13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 1/3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
2
Dylan Harper |
13 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2/2 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
3
Keldon Johnson |
31 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2/2 | 8/15 | 1/4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
0
Jordan McLaughlin |
8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
8
Kelly Olynyk |
8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
10
Jeremy Sochan |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
43
Lindy Waters III |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
