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Jazz vs Spurs reaction: O’Neale and Rubio carry Jazz to 5th straight win

By Zachary Padmore

SAN ANTONIO,TX - FEBRUARY 3 : Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz shoots over Kyle Anderson #1 of the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on February 3, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO,TX - FEBRUARY 3 : Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz shoots over Kyle Anderson #1 of the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on February 3, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /
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Facing long odds, the shorthanded Utah Jazz won in dominant fashion over the San Antonio Spurs to extend their current streak.

The Utah Jazz went into San Antonio on a back-to-back without their leading scorer in Donovan Mitchell and walked away with a fifth straight win thanks to big-time performances from Royce O’Neale and Ricky Rubio.

What a win for the Jazz. Utah is surging right now, and are playing with a lot of confidence. Every win counts as the Jazz look to make a playoff push in the second half of this season, and this is a huge victory.

Both Rubio and O’Neale established new career-highs in scoring. Rubio finished with 34 points on 11-of-14 shooting, while O’Neale had 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench.

Rubio started the game red-hot, and never looked back. He was up to 23 points at halftime, and is playing some incredible basketball right now. O’Neale gave the Jazz some major energy off the bench; energy they really needed playing a back-to-back.

The Jazz have now beaten the Spurs two times this season, once in Utah and once in San Antonio. Mitchell was a late scratch due to the flu, but Utah came through without him and got contributions from many players.

Rodney Hood returned from a six-game absence after suffering a lower leg injury in Charlotte a few weeks ago. He came off the bench and played just 15 minutes, scoring five points. The trade deadline is right around the corner, and it will be interesting to see if Hood will continue playing in a Jazz uniform.

The Spurs are obviously without their superstar Kawhi Leonard, but they got a big game from their other star, LaMarcus Aldridge. He gave the Jazz a lot of problems, scoring from the post and killing the Jazz in the pick-and-pop.

Aldridge had 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting. San Antonio also got key contributions from veterans Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Those two may be older now, but they can still make an impact, and that showed  on Saturday. They both had double figures off the bench.

Again –This was a huge win for the Jazz. They are hot right now, winners of five in a row. They will be back in action on Monday night, facing off against Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Utah is now 24-28 on the season.

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