San Antonio Spurs take care of business against Utah Jazz reserve squad

Going up against the Utah Jazz reserves, the San Antonio Spurs notched their third win of the Orlando restart with an eight-point victory.

When it was announced that three of the four Utah Jazz starters would rest against the San Antonio Spurs, there was little doubt that a must-win game became a bit easier for the silver and black. Their two-game losing skid put them back at the eleventh seed in the Western Conference with Phoenix and Portland creeping ahead of them. After the 119-111 victory, San Antonio has a better chance to regain some traction.

Led once again by combo guard Derrick White, San Antonio had a generally efficient afternoon. As a team, they shot 50.6 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from the 3-point line. White’s four triples led the Spurs once again en route to a 24-point, six-rebound, four-assist stat line. He was one of six members of the silver and black to reach double-digit scoring in the contest.

Though he didn’t exactly blow anyone away, starting point guard Dejounte Murray filled the stat sheet, as he’s known to do. The 23-year-old posted 11 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead the team in that category. His defensive effort intensified as the game went on and played a crucial part when the Jazz players gained momentum in the fourth quarter.

It was a quiet game from DeMar DeRozan, who took just 10 shots in 30 minutes. Turnovers were an issue for DeRozan on his 31st birthday, but no one is going to look at him sideways for that.

Without Rudy Gobert in play for the Jazz, San Antonio should’ve done a better job of controlling the glass in this one. Everyone did their part with seven players grabbing at least four boards, but they still lost the battle on the glass by five rebounds. The same can be said about the 3-point shooting battle as the Spurs let the equivalent of Utah’s G-League team shoot 16-for-37 from deep.

Was this the best game of the Spurs’ season? Absolutely not, but they came away with a win that was impacted largely by a solid game from their starting center.

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