SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs finally ended the longest losing streak in franchise history, beating the Jazz 102-94 in the final game of the Rodeo Road Trip.
The Spurs have trailed heading to the fourth quarter 43 times this year and trailed by double digits in 45 games, and this was their first win all year in those situations. Keldon Johnson finished with 25 points and played heroic ball to seal the win, and rookies Jeremy Sochan and Blake Wesley stepped up big time in the second half.
Utah opened the game with a pair of triples. Malaki Branham drove in pick and roll and kissed it in off the glass. Jeremy Sochan made a number of solid offensive plays, but none of them ended in points. Keldon Johnson drove for a layup, then hit a baseline jumper, then fed Zach Collins for a layup.
Lauri Markkanen hit his second three of the game, then took it the full length of the floor for a big dunk as nobody stepped up to stop his drive. Sochan doubled him on the next possession and poked it away, but he wound up getting to the line on the inbound anyway.
Keldon again found Collins for a jump hook. Devonte' Graham came in, drove into a jumper and executed one of the most exaggerated pump fakes you'll ever see before he swished it from the elbow.
After some great ball movement, Keldon drove and went with a sauce fake before laying it up and in. Johnson has struggled from three recently and hesitated on an open look, but he drove right through the teeth of the defense and scored through a foul.
Blake Wesley snuck behind Kelly Olynyk for a steal, took it coast to coast and tossed in a beautiful reverse to avoid the chasedown block attempt.
Keldon drove for a nice dime to Bassey who missed, but got it back and got it back to Keldon for a big jam.
Wesley drove for free throws, then drilled a catch-and shoot three. Doug McDermott curled around a screen, caught and fired from range. On the next possession he caught at the arc and drove for a floater on the baseline to put the Spurs in front.
Wesley used his long arms to feed Graham at the arc, and he got fouled and hit all three to put San Antonio up 32-30 after a quarter.
McDermott started the second with a triple from the corner, but Markkanen answered. Charles Bassey poked a block away underneath. Sochan picked up his second and third fouls in quick succession and went to the bench.
Keita Bates-Diop drove for a tough layup, then grabbed an offensive board. Branham drove from the arc, eurostepped through the lane and kissed in a gorgeous reverse.
Keldon drove, stopped in the lane and popped one in, then McDermott did the same to make it a nine-point game. Utah quickly cut it to five, and Pop called time but it didn't seem to help. Markkanen hit his fourth three of the half, then Talen Horton-Tucker crammed a poster dunk to make it a 10-0 run and put the Jazz in front.
Keldon drove for a layup, and McDermott drained another three from the top to settle things down. Collins stuffed Markkanen at the rim, and the Spurs led 50-48 at halftime.
Utah started the second half on a 5-0 run before KBD posted up for a dunk. A few plays later he came up with a tremendous block in transition. The Jazz pushed in front by three and Pop called time, but the Jazz extended the lead to 10 by taking advantage of sloppiness by the Spurs.
Sochan ran a pick and roll and passed it over the top to Bassey for a layup, then Sochan drove from the corner and bullied a mismatch in the post for a baby hook. He tried a layup on a backdoor cut, but Rudy Gay swatted it into the stands. It worked out just fine though, because Sochan passed to McDermott for a triple.
Jeremy spun into the paint and drilled a jumper to make it 73-71 Jazz heading to the fourth. He drove for free throws to start the fourth, and put the Spurs back in front.
Kris Dunn put the Jazz up by five with a little run, but Sochan drove for another tough bucket.
Malaki Branham limped off the floor wincing and grabbing his right hip, going straight to the locker room.
Sochan got tied up, but wrestled the ball away and kicked to Wesley for three. McDermott drilled one from the corner to put the Spurs up one. Devonte' Graham came in cold and swished a three with a hand in his face. Wesley blocked a shot in the paint, then Bassey popped in a jumper from the free throw line to put the Spurs up 6 and force a timeout.
Wesley continued playing dogged defense, but THT heaved one over him for three and then drilled another from the corner to tie it up at 88.
Sochan cut backdoor for free throws and hit both. Utah answered, then Keldon drove and hit a free throw. Kris Dunn kissed it off the glass to put Utah back in front, then Zach Collins got to the line and split the pair to tie it.
Markkanen put the Jazz up by a point, but Keldon popped in a layup through contact. The Spurs got a stop, and Collins went to the line and hit both. After another stop, Keldon drove and finished a tough one with his left. That put San Antonio up five with about two minutes left, but he limped off the floor after landing awkwardly. He walked it off and came back in.
Olynyk made a free throw, then Keldon drove for another layup, then another for the dagger. San Antonio won 102-94, ending the longest losing streak in franchise history.
GAME REWIND
The Spurs are coming off a road loss versus the Jazz, 118-102.
Jeremy Sochan had 22 points and two assists to lead the team while Zach Collins added 15 points. Keldon Johnson finished with 18 points and seven rebounds while Keita Bates-Diop recorded 11 points in the loss.
The Spurs were without Devin Vassell, Isaiah Roby, Romeo Langford, and Tre Jones due to injuries.
Utah outscored San Antonio, 66-37 in the second half en route to the win.
"We talk about 48 minutes all the time. We're obviously not a 48-minute team. We got outscored 16 in the third quarter. I think in nine minutes they [Utah] were in the bonus. All that discipline goes to hell. Not mature enough to understand that you got to keep it up," Gregg Popovich said. "It's a game of consistency, execution, and keeping your competitiveness up. We just don't have it for 48. I think I can finally say that at this point of the season."
INJURY REPORT
THE UNIFORMS
The Spurs will be in their Icon Edition jerseys today.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
1. The Jazz have outrebounded their opponents in four-straight games.
2. The Jazz have turned the ball over more times than their opponents in six-straight games.
3. The Jazz are averaging 116.3 points per game in their last three games.
4. The Spurs have lost 18 straight games on the road.
5. The Spurs are averaging 109.3 points per game in their last three games.
Stay here at KENS 5 throughout the season for complete Spurs coverage.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5