Follow Club Spurs on Twitter
Getting Inside
The Spurs will try to get back on track Saturday night when they play host to Sacramento at the AT&T Center. Three of the Spurs' five losses have come at home this season.
The Spurs beat Sacramento 108-99 on Nov. 19 at Arco Arena behind Tim Duncan's season-high 35 points. But Kings center Brad Miller didn't play in the game.
REPLAY: With Carlos Boozer totaling 23 points and 16 rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko pogo-sticking his way all over the court and Deron Williams burying one clutch shot after another, the Jazz beat the Spurs 83-75 Wednesday night at EnergySolutions Arena.
The victory was just Utah's third in its past 25 games against the Spurs. With it, the Jazz improved their NBA-best record to 13-3 while handing the Spurs (11-5) their first losing streak of the season.
After erasing a 10-point deficit in the first half, the Jazz overwhelmed the Spurs in the game's final six minutes. Boozer helped hold Tim Duncan scoreless in the fourth quarter and Utah out-rebounded the Spurs 50-34.
The Spurs have lost three of their past four games.
Notes and Quotes
--Manu Ginobili said he continues to feel better, but will have his back re-examined by the Spurs' doctors in San Antonio today. Ginobili hasn't played since bruising his lower back late in the third quarter of Friday's loss to Dallas.
"I'm still not able to run properly," said Ginobili, who did some shooting after the Spurs' shoot-around Wednesday morning. "When I put my body weight on my right leg, it pinches here in the back."
--Michael Finley started his third consecutive game in place of Manu Ginobili. But any hopes the Spurs had of getting the veteran shooter on track during Ginobili's absence are quickly expiring. He went 1-for-8 Wednesday and is shooting just 32.2 percent for the season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Right now, they're a tougher-minded club than we are. We have a little ways to go to be as tough-minded as they are." -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, after his team's 83-75 loss to Utah on Wednesday.
Roster Report
ROTATION: Starters -- Point guard Tony Parker, Shooting guard Michael Finley, Small forward Bruce Bowen, Power forward Tim Duncan, Center Fabricio Oberto. Bench -- Guard Brent Barry, Forward Robert Horry, Guard Beno Udrih, Center Francisco Elson.
PLAYER NOTES:
--Forward Bruce Bowen scored a season-high 17 points while making five three-pointers. He previously hadn't made more than two threes in a game this season.
--Center Francisco Elson gave the Spurs a boost in the second half. Elson, who hadn't played much in recent games, had four points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks in 15 minutes.
--Guard Brent Barry failed to make a three-pointer for the first time this season in a game in which he played more than 12 minutes. He was 1-for-3 against Utah, with his one basket a toe-on-the-line 23-footer.
--Robert Horry grabbed eight rebounds -- matching his high of the season -- but made only one of his five shots. He is 14-for-54 (25.9 percent) for the season.
