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Spurs-Jazz Preview
Associated Press
Posted: 4 hours ago
The Utah Jazz have the NBA's best record, but consecutive double-digit losses have slowed down their early season surge. To avoid a third straight defeat, they'll have to knock off a San Antonio Spurs team that has dominated them over the past six years Wednesday night.
The Jazz (12-3), the surprise team of the NBA season so far, had won eight in a row before falling 91-78 at Golden State on Saturday. Utah couldn't get back on track at home in its next game, losing 88-75 to Orlando on Monday night.
Utah is the NBA's top rebounding team at 45.3 per game, but the Magic dominated the glass, winning that battle 45-36 and grabbing 15 offensive boards. The Jazz, also tops in the league in shooting at 48.8 percent, were just 29-for-68 (43 percent) against Orlando, including 1-of-12 from 3-point range.
"We couldn't really get our boards," forward Andrei Kirilenko said of Orlando's work on the offensive glass. "They just dominate us on our boards and I really don't have an answer."
Utah committed 12 turnovers in the first half and trailed 47-41 at the break.
"They did a terrific job of keeping us in a half-court game," said coach Jerry Sloan, whose team has been held to season lows in points in the last two games. "They did a terrific job of defending us. They pretty much had their way all night long."
The Spurs (11-4) have pretty much had their way with the Jazz lately, winning 21 of 23 matchups since the start of the 2000-01 season. Utah, which lost all three meetings with San Antonio last season by an average of 17 points, is 2-10 in the last 12 home games against the Spurs.
Carlos Boozer scored 21 points and Mehmet Okur added 13 points and nine rebounds Monday, but the Jazz couldn't take advantage of the Magic's 40 percent shooting from the floor and suffered their first loss in eight home games in 2006-07.
Utah is winning by an average margin of 10.3 points at home and shooting better than 50 percent from the field there.
Unlike the Jazz, a strong start to the season from San Antonio is anything but a shock.
The Spurs, who have finished atop the Southwest Division five of the last six seasons, suffered their first road loss Monday, 111-102 to the Warriors. Tony Parker scored 28 points and Tim Duncan added 22 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks, but San Antonio went 3 1/2 minutes without scoring during a fourth-quarter stretch that allowed the Warriors to pull away.
"Defensively I thought they were pretty solid," said Duncan, who had three straight shots blocked by Andris Biedrins in the final period. "I had a tough fourth quarter there. I missed a couple of open ones."
The Spurs had won seven straight on the road.
Manu Ginobili was sidelined for the second straight game because of back spasms. Coach Gregg Popovich said he wasn't sure whether Ginobili would be ready to return Wednesday.
