Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson Lead Spurs Over Jazz
The San Antonio Spurs pulled off an impressive 126-122 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. It was both teams' first game since a short break after not being among the teams to play on Christmas Day. The Spurs improved to 11-22 on the season, and the Jazz fell to 19-17.
The game's outcome was decided in the final minute despite the Spurs leading by as many as 20 points at one point. San Antonio even led by 11 points with about two and a half minutes remaining in regulation. The Jazz had scored seven points in 33 seconds to create a scare.
“We just stayed together. We persevered and came out on top,” Johnson said. “I feel like they are a good team and good teams make runs. We withstood that run and won the game."
Jordan Clarkson's shot making made it a real game with just 30.1 seconds remaining in regulation. He converted a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 123-120, but the Spurs answered back with a a made floater to ultimately put the game out of reach with a Tre Jones floater.
“I think we came into this year knowing we were going to be in a lot of close games,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “We weren’t going to be a team necessarily that was built to blow people out, so we needed to be clutch in those situations.”
Lauri Markkanen led the way for the Jazz with 32 points and 12 rebounds, but it didn't prove to be enough in the end. Clarkson finished with 25 points as well. However, shooting 13-43 (30.2 percent) from 3-point range as a team was limiting and their interior scoring didn't make up for it.
The Spurs received 24 points, six rebounds, and eight assists along with a pair of blocks and steals from Devin Vassell. Keldon Johnson chipped in 21 points, five assists, and two steals to go along with. Jakob Poeltl had 16 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. Perhaps most intriguing of all, Malaki Branham poured in 20 point off the bench.
The Spurs return to action on Tuesday when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.
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