Spurs-Jazz Preview
By NOEY KUPCHAN
The San Antonio Spurs have opened the season's second half with back-to-back defeats against two of the NBA's top teams.
While the Utah Jazz don't present as tough a matchup, they looked awfully good in their first game back from the break.
In the midst of their annual rodeo road trip, the Spurs try to avoid their longest skid in over two months Monday night against the Jazz.
San Antonio (34-21) is set to appear in its sixth of nine consecutive games on the road, where the Spurs have played just .500 ball at 14-14. The defending NBA champions are averaging 97.6 points as the visitor compared to 104.3 at home.
They put up a fight in Thursday's 119-115 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, but couldn't hang at Golden State in a 110-99 defeat the next night. The Spurs were outscored 62-39 by the Warriors in the second and third quarters and only cut into the lead once the game was out of reach.
Star point guard Tony Parker shot 0 for 4 and had a season-low two points. He's one of several key pieces still trying to find his form after missing time earlier in the season.
"I feel like the injuries, and me personally just trying to come back, and then Kawhi (Leonard), and then Tiago (Splitter) and Patty (Mills), we just can't find our rhythm this year," said Parker, who scored 21 points against Los Angeles to match his highest total in 20 games since returning from a sore hamstring. "Just have to stay positive and keep pushing and hopefully we'll start playing better."
Leonard had averaged 8.3 points on 23.1 percent shooting over a four-game stretch before scoring a team high-tying 12 on 5-of-7 shooting in 19 minutes Friday.
"Hopefully the next game against Utah he'll be even more aggressive, we need him to be aggressive," said Parker, whose team hasn't dropped three straight since a season-worst four-game skid Dec. 15-20.
The Jazz (20-34) are seeking a fourth win in five games and season-best third in a row at home after easily getting by Portland 92-76 on Friday. Gordon Hayward scored 20 points and Trey Burke added 19 off the bench as Utah held the Northwest Division leaders to a season-worst 36.1 percent shooting.
"We needed this type of game coming off the break," Burke said.
Emerging center Rudy Gobert had five of the team's seven blocks while starting in place of Enes Kanter, who was traded to Oklahoma City on Thursday. Gobert is averaging an NBA-leading 2.8 blocks since Dec. 12.
"I think we played pure," coach Quin Snyder said. "We made some mistakes, but for the most part the guys tried - they played for one another. When you're unselfish like that and you don't care what happens ... we were trying to make each other better and I think you get rewarded for that."
The Jazz are 3-13 against the Spurs since 2010-11, but they've split two meetings this season with each team winning at home. Hayward and Derrick Favors combined for 41 points in a 100-96 victory Dec. 9 before San Antonio routed Utah 89-69 on Jan. 18, holding the Jazz to their fewest points since scoring 65 on Jan. 6, 2006.
Utah is 4-30 when allowing at least 97 points.