Spurs at Jazz
THE STORY: San Antonio shoots for its 11th straight victory when it
visits Utah on Monday. The Spurs are 6-0 on their nine-game road trip,
including Saturday's 103-100 overtime victory over the Clippers. Gary
Neal hit a 3-pointer that tied the game in regulation and another
3-pointer in overtime to win it. Utah dropped a 101-85 defeat in Houston
on Sunday. "We knew how important this game was for us," forward Al
Jefferson said. "We didn’t close it out. I don’t know why."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Spurs), ROOT Sports (Jazz)
ABOUT THE SPURS (22-9): It wasn't all good news for San Antonio on
Saturday. Guard Manu Ginobili left the game in the fourth quarter with a
strained left oblique. He was playing in his fifth game after missing
22 games with a broken bone in his left hand. Backup forward-center
Tiago Splitter left in the first quarter with a strained right calf.
Ginobili might return against the Jazz, but Splitter is unlikely to
play.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (15-15): It's been all downhill for
Utah since starting the season 12-7. The Jazz have lost eight of 11 and
will have to play better to stay in the Western Conference playoff race.
Forward Paul Millsap broke out of his shooting slump with 22 points on
8-for-16 shooting against Houston. He shot 11 of 31 and scored 28 points
in his previous three games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1.
The Spurs haven't played at home since Feb. 4 when they defeated
Oklahoma City. San Antonio doesn't play at home again until Feb. 28
against Chicago, its first game after the All-Star break.
2. San Antonio has won four straight over Utah, including a 104-89 home victory on Dec. 31.
3. Jefferson has scored 23 and 34 points while shooting 26 of 43 from the field in the last two games.