No Rudy Gobert. No Donovan Mitchell. No problem for the Jazz.
Coming off a brutal six-game road trip—and on the second leg of a back-to-back set—the Jazz came away with a much-needed 100-89 win over the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night in Salt Lake City.
The Jazz (15-18) held onto a slim lead for most of the game before pulling away in the fourth quarter.
Rodney Hood scored a game-high 29 points for the Jazz, while Ricky Rubio stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and one steal.
Derrick Favors (14 points, nine rebounds), Alec Burks (12 points) and Joe Johnson (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Jazz in the win.
Bryn Forbes scored 12 points to lead six Spurs players in double figures. Kawhi Leonard, who's still working his way into shape after missing the first two months of the season with a quad injury, scored 10 points in 20 minutes. LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker chipped in 11 points each in the loss.
The Spurs (22-11) were also playing for the second straight night after beating Portland on Wednesday.
Thursday's Best
With Mitchell (foot) out for the second straight game, Hood once again stepped into the lineup and came up big for the Jazz. He converted a four-point play midway through the second quarter to give Utah a 13-point lead, and then he scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to help put the game away. Hood shot 12-for-24 from the field (including 3-for-10 from 3-point range) and added three rebounds, one steal and one block in 35 mintues.
Key Stretches
The Jazz went on a 19-5 run midway through the first half, and they didn't surrender the lead the rest of the way. Burks and Hood made back-to-back threes, and then Johnson hit nothing but net on a mid-range jumper. Threes by Johnson and Rubio early in the second quarter capped the run and gave Utah a 30-17 lead. The Spurs went 1-for-14 from the field during that stretch.
The Jazz led 50-38 at the half, but the Spurs opened the third quarter with an 11-1 run to pull within two. Favors, though, converted a key three-point play to stop San Antonio's run. Favors blocked a shot by Joffrey Lauvergne on San Antonio's ensuing possession, and then a layup by Hood and a corner three by Jonas Jerebko pushed Utah's lead back to eight.
Three straight 3-pointers by Patty Mills helped the Spurs cut Utah's lead to two early in the fourth quarter, but back-to-back threes by Burks and Joe Ingles gave Utah an eight-point buffer. Favors scored four points and Hood drilled three straight shots—including a huge off-balance three—to help Utah pull away.
Significant Stats
83.3
The Jazz were aggressive in getting to the line, where they shot an efficient 20-for-24 (83.3 percent) as a team. The Spurs shot only 11-for-16 (68.8 percent) from the free-throw line.
12
Utah also shot it well from deep, going 12-for-26 (46.2 percent) from 3-point range. Hood (3-for-10), Johnson (2-for-2), Burks (2-for-3) and Ingles (2-for-3) each made multiple threes for the Jazz.
Coach's Quote of the Night
Notable
The game started at 8:30pm MT and was broadcast nationally on TNT. ... Gobert (knee) missed his fourth straight game. Raul Neto (concussion) and Danté Exum (shoulder) also remained out for the Jazz. ... Manu Ginobili (rest), Paul Gasol (rest) and Danny Green (groin) were out for the Spurs. ... The Jazz are now 12-5 at home this season. ... Everyone in attendance earned a free Chick-fil-A sandwich thanks to San Antonio's Kyle Anderson, who missed two straight free throws late in the fourth quarter. ... The Spurs outscored the Jazz 40-26 in the paint.
Up Next
The Jazz will stay at home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 6:00pm MT.
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