The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 119-97 for their fifth straight win. After starting the season 0-2, San Antonio has now caught fire and won five straight. The two losses at the start had people questioning the Spurs, rightfully so. Now it looks like they figured something out and are starting to win games. Are the Spurs beginning to show what they’re capable of?
How the San Antonio Spurs Put Away Utah
From the start, San Antonio dictated what type of game this would be. They took control early and kept the Jazz at a distance. They were up after the first quarter by 11 and never looked back. Utah kept fighting and trying to get back in the game, but the Spurs had an answer all night long. San Antonio was aggressively attacking the paint, which resulted in them shooting 30 free throws and making 24 of them. They also had 26 fast-break points against the Jazz’s nine.
The Jazz shot just 35% from the field, and the Spurs shot 46%. It seemed like San Antonio was constantly outrunning and throwing lobs to each other. The Spurs were the more aggressive team from the start, and it showed. They put pressure on Utah’s defense, and the defense had no answer.
Offensive and Defensive Masterpiece
Dylan Harper led the Spurs in scoring with 17 points on 6/10 and made one of his two three-point attempts. He also had eight assists and seven rebounds in the game. Seven different players scored in double figures for the Spurs, giving them a good, balanced offense. The guards for San Antonio were aggressive the entire game and made life hard for the Jazz guards.
Victor Wembanyama didn’t have the best offensive game, but he did have 11 rebounds, three blocks, and a steal. He was a threat defensively for the entirety of the game. Even when he wasn’t blocking shots, he discouraged players from going in the paint. His presence allows the guards to pressure opposing teams the whole game with no fear of getting blown by.
The Spurs Response to being 0-2
The Spurs have responded really well after a bad 0-2 start. They now look like the same team from last season as opposed to the team that we didn’t recognize. San Antonio has been more balanced between its backcourt and frontcourt. The team still doesn’t even have Tobias Harris yet, and it’s on a five-game win streak; that is a really good sign. Now expectations are back to what they were supposed to be.
San Antonio is now headed in the right direction and will soon get Harris back. They look comfortable again and are attacking the paint way more than they did in the first two games. They went back to what was working last season, and it is showing now.
The Spurs have a game against the Mavericks coming up, which will be a good test. They beat Dallas earlier as part of their win streak, but Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving did not play. This will be a good test to see exactly where they are. They will want to extend this streak to six games, especially against one of their rivals.
San Antonio Spurs Keep Rolling With Fifth Straight Win