Spurs snap 8-game Utah Jazz winning streak

The Utah Jazz likely entered last night’s contest with the San Antonio Spurs feeling confident in their ability to extend their winning streak to 9 games. They may have broken the NBA’s foremost cardinal rule: never underestimate your opponent. 

The Spurs overcame the odds and defeated the Jazzmen by a final score of 128-126. The Jazz didn’t lose this game on offense. It wasn’t their most efficient night of the season, but they did shoot an impressive 46/93 (49.5%) from the field. Furthermore, 126 points is going to be enough to beat the San Antonio Spurs on far more nights than it isn’t.

Simply put, last night, it wasn’t.

Utah Jazz Defense Collapses

Instead, the Jazz dropped this contest on defense. Rudy Gobert was as solid as ever on the interior, but otherwise, the team was uncharacteristically slow to rotate and close-out. As a result, the Spurs shot a clean 50/100 from the field.

Pick a Spur. Chances are, they lit the Utah Jazz up last night. Keldon Johnson finished with 24 points on 10/13 shooting from the field. Lonnie Walker IV finished with 19 points on 8/15 shooting, including a dagger from the midrange with 15 seconds left to put the Spurs up 2. Derrick White had 22. Even Jakob Poeltl, typically a defensive minded role player, got in on the fun, chipping in 14.

It has been interesting to watch the Jazz’s identity unfold this season. In spite of boasting the best rim protection in the NBA, they are first and foremost an offensive team. In today’s NBA, that’s a positive, but the squad still has to play with more effort and focus on the opposite end than they did in last night’s contest.

Utah Jazz Get Deep Contributions

On a positive note, at least the Jazz looked the part of a cohesive offensive unit last night. Jordan Clarkson had a great night, finishing with 21 points on 8/15 shooting from the field and 3/7 shooting from deep. He may be trending away from the slump that’s plagued him throughout most of 2021-22 so far.

All told, six Jazzmen finished this one in double figures. Donovan Mitchell wasn’t in his finest form, as he finished with 27 points on a somewhat inefficient 10/23 shooting from the field and 3/11 shooting from downtown. Still, it’s hard to pin this loss on his performance.

In fact, it’s hard to pin this loss on any Jazzman’s offensive performance. This group simply needs to bring energy and attention to detail on defense in every game. If they can do that, they shouldn’t find themselves on the wrong end of very many upsets through the remainder of the season.

The Utah Jazz were undoubtedly disappointed to drop this game, but they won’t have much time to lick their wounds. They host the Washington Wizards on the tail end of a back-to-back tonight.