Mitchell, Gobert help Jazz breeze past Spurs, 125-105
Feb 9, 2019, 6:02 PM
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots past the arms of San Antonio Spurs forward Davis Bertans (42) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Chris Nicoll)
(AP Photo/Chris Nicoll)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 13 rebounds and the Utah Jazz beat the San Antonio Spurs 125-105 on Saturday.
Royce O’Neale tied his season high with 17 points and made all four of his 3-point attempts to help the Jazz claim their third win in their last four games.
Ricky Rubio, who took to social media to celebrate surviving the trade deadline to stay with Utah, tallied 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.
DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 for the Spurs, who have lost four in a row on their eight-game trip while their home arena hosts a 17-day stock show and rodeo.
Knotted at 32, the Jazz scored nine consecutive points, including two baskets at the rim by Gobert, to gain command. The Jazz got to the rim repeatedly and outscored the Spurs 22-2 in the paint during the second quarter and led 62-48 at the half.
This was the finale of the teams’ three-game series. The Jazz own the tiebreaker and moved a full game ahead of the Spurs in the jumbled Western Conference standings.
Aldridge, who was chosen for the All-Star Game while Gobert was snubbed — prompting Jazz coach Quin Snyder to call for a different way of selecting participants — went 5 of 16 from the field and had 10 rebounds.
Gobert has 45 double-doubles, tied for the league lead with Joel Embiid.
The Jazz shot 52.2 percent from the field — their third game making at least half their shots in the last four — and consistently found wide-open shooters against the Spurs’ slow rotations and mismatched switches on pick-and-rolls.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Rudy Gay missed the game with an ankle sprain. … Jakob Poeltl started but fourth-quarter minutes went to Pau Gasol until the game was decided. … The Spurs posted only four second-chance points as they were out-rebounded 52-36.
Jazz: Gobert got a technical foul in the first quarter after a series of non-calls. … Royce O’Neale, who averages 4.9 points per game, hit three 3s in the second quarter. … Favors had his eight double-double of the season. The Jazz are 7-1 in those games.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Visit Memphis on Tuesday.
Jazz: Visit Golden State on Tuesday.
