The Spurs delivered the most unpredictable loss imaginable. After all, they had won eight straight and 10 of their previous 11 games before inexplicably falling at home to the Jazz, 127–114, in San Antonio, in front of their own fans. And to make the stumble even more striking, during that stretch they had beaten the Thunder three separate times – the seemingly untouchable champions who were cruising toward a second straight title until the youthful, disruptive Texans, led by the ever-present figure of Victor Wembanyama, crossed their path.
All of that had turned the team into an extraordinary opponent, the kind that demands attention. But also one that remains, inevitably, human.
Perhaps because they had grown accustomed to winning – or simply because no one can win forever – the Spurs slipped up at home against a Jazz team whose project appears to be drifting, almost as if it had to happen. In doing so, they offered a measure of relief to the Thunder, whose grip on the top spot in the Western Conference had begun to look fragile after nearly three months of dominance, undone by a roster determined to allow the franchise to once again boast the most captivating style of basketball on the planet.
The same brand they once had with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili and Tony Parker taking turns on the court, and Gregg Popovich on the sideline. The style that carried them to the playoffs in 22 consecutive seasons, brushing up against the all-time record in American sports. A postseason they are, quite obviously, desperate to return to – no matter how uneven the road has been.
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San Antonio Spurs
Stats
40
Harrison Barnes
18
Bismack Biyombo
11
Carter Bryant
5
Stephon Castle
30
Julian Champagnie
2
Dylan Harper
3
Keldon Johnson
7
Luke Kornet
0
Jordan McLaughlin
8
Kelly Olynyk
10
Jeremy Sochan
24
Devin Vassell
43
Lindy Waters III
1
Victor Wembanyama
25
David Jones-Garcia
Stats
Min
Pts
TR
OR
DR
Ast
Los
Rec
Blk
S1
S2
S3
RF
CF
Val
40
Harrison Barnes
22
3
2
0
2
2
0
0
0
0/0
0/1
1/3
0
1
0
18
Bismack Biyombo
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/0
0
0
0
11
Carter Bryant
13
3
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/2
1/2
0
2
0
5
Stephon Castle
33
20
2
0
2
7
4
2
0
3/3
7/11
1/8
0
5
0
30
Julian Champagnie
25
4
5
4
1
0
0
1
0
0/0
2/4
0/6
0
2
0
2
Dylan Harper
26
7
7
1
6
12
2
3
0
1/1
3/6
0/4
0
3
0
3
Keldon Johnson
24
27
10
4
6
1
0
0
0
2/3
5/8
5/7
0
2
0
7
Luke Kornet
19
7
8
3
5
1
0
0
1
3/4
2/3
0/0
0
1
0
0
Jordan McLaughlin
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/0
0
0
0
8
Kelly Olynyk
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/0
0
0
0
10
Jeremy Sochan
5
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/0
0
0
0
24
Devin Vassell
35
11
3
0
3
3
0
0
1
1/2
2/3
2/9
0
2
0
43
Lindy Waters III
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/1
0
1
0
1
Victor Wembanyama
27
32
7
2
5
3
3
0
5
8/8
12/17
0/4
0
3
0
25
David Jones-Garcia
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/0
0
0
0
Utah Jazz
Stats
2
Kyle Anderson
13
Walter Clayton Jr.
8
Isaiah Collier
22
Kyle Filipowski
3
Keyonte George
0
Taylor Hendricks
23
Lauri Markkanen
10
Svi Mykhailiuk
30
Jusuf Nurkić
28
Brice Sensabaugh
34
Oscar Tshiebwe
5
Cody Williams
16
Elijah Harkless
17
John Tonje
Stats
Min
Pts
TR
OR
DR
Ast
Los
Rec
Blk
S1
S2
S3
RF
CF
Val
2
Kyle Anderson
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/0
0
0
0
13
Walter Clayton Jr.
22
17
2
0
2
5
0
1
0
3/3
4/4
2/2
0
0
0
8
Isaiah Collier
15
7
1
0
1
4
4
0
0
0/1
2/3
1/2
0
1
0
22
Kyle Filipowski
21
6
3
0
3
6
1
2
1
2/2
2/5
0/2
0
3
0
3
Keyonte George
34
28
5
0
5
6
3
2
1
11/13
4/9
3/9
0
1
0
0
Taylor Hendricks
18
2
3
0
3
1
0
0
1
0/0
1/1
0/3
0
2
0
23
Lauri Markkanen
34
29
5
1
4
1
1
3
1
2/2
6/10
5/6
0
3
0
10
Svi Mykhailiuk
14
3
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0/0
0/0
1/1
0
1
0
30
Jusuf Nurkić
26
16
7
2
5
6
3
0
0
2/4
4/7
2/5
0
5
0
28
Brice Sensabaugh
33
11
4
1
3
3
2
0
0
0/0
1/1
3/5
0
2
0
34
Oscar Tshiebwe
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/0
0
0
0
5
Cody Williams
19
8
6
2
4
1
0
1
0
0/1
4/6
0/2
0
1
0
16
Elijah Harkless
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/0
0
0
0
17
John Tonje
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0/0
0/0
0/0
0
0
0