San Antonio vs. Utah, final score: Spurs beat Jazz 110-111

San Antonio (4:6) failed several times due to Utah's attempts to escape with a win, but had to admit defeat at the very end and lost 1-1 on its homestand. Utah secured its hard-fought win inside and around the painted zone – especially in the first half when they managed to go 12 of 16 from the free throw line and build a 25-18 rebound advantage as San Antonio He shot just 34% from the field and made a terrible five 2-point shots. The Spurs fought their way back into the game in a well-played third and fourth quarter – setting up 23 of their first 28 field goals after a difficult first half and getting great shots from Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama.

Vassell contributed 21 points in limited minutes in his first appearance in 2024-2025. Wembanyama (24 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks) and Stephon Castle (23 points and 2 steals). Keldon Johnson (14 points and 5 assists) excelled again as a substitute, while Chris Paul (0-6 FG) struggled against the faster and bigger Jazz guards.

Utah (2-7) was led by Lauri Markkanen (20 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals) and Collin Sexton (23 points and 4 assists). They were bolstered by 54 bench points from Jordan Clarkson (who else – 16 points and 3 steals), John Collins (15 points and 10 rebounds) and Johnny Juzang (10 points) – with the majority of their damage done in critical seconds – half moments .

In what could only be described as a rocky first frame, three impressive three-pointers from Castle helped the Spurs to a six-point lead. Vassell came into the game after more than six minutes and although he missed his first two attempts, it was deflected. The Jazz used a staggering 18-2 lead to take the lead. San Antonio needed all nine points from Castle and six from Wembanyama to stay within three to one.

San Antonio made a nice push behind Wembanyama's long-range shooting technique. Devin Vassell saw his first shot land encouragingly. Former USC star Isaiah Collier persistently pushed his way upfield to score some points while Markkanen found his shooting touch. The non-Vassell Spurs' shots stopped falling after a few minutes, and Markkanen hit a nice catch-and-shoot three-pointer for a traditional three-point play. As in the entire second third, Utah took advantage of the free throw and prevailed over the hosts. The Jazz took a 53-45 lead into halftime.

With his team struggling to hit shots, Harrison Barnes focused on offense early in the third period, and San Antonio briefly completely erased that halftime deficit. Utah performed the same move for several minutes, scoring a big at the front of the rim and going up to nine points. However, this seemed to anger the Spurs team as a whole, and they completely erased that deficit in the final minutes – capped by Blake Wesley sending a bullet pass to Castle for an emphatic dunk. The teams left the frame tied at 82.

Observations

• Late Friday night on Bill Simmons' podcast, he counted down his updated list of the top 25 NBA players and had Wembanyama at No. 16 (“mostly for his defense”).”
• The bottom bowl was noticeably empty at the time of tipping.
• The advertising snippets during free throws are… something.
• Paul's shot is clearly off target.
• Harrison Barnes poked his nose into some early loose balls that younger players may have given up.
• Aside from Markkanen, I would choose Sandro Mamukelashvili (even though he only logged seven minutes of playing time) over Kyle Filipowski and Walker Kessler.
• Course of the game #1: Late in the opening verse, Castle stole an errant Jazz pass and delivered an embarrassing alley-oop dunk/layup to a charging Johnson.
• Course of the game #2: Midway through the second quarter, Mamukelashvili deflected a Utah transition pass that found its way to Chris Paul, who passed it to Wembanyama for his fourth three-pointer of the half. This came after Mamekelashvili almost found Wesley on the baseline for another layup (which he missed).
• Course of the game #3: With the game hanging in the balance late in the third period, Wesley took a pass from Johnson and shot through two Jazz to the rim for a header and 1.
• One thing Patty Mills could always do was press charges. His tackle on Julian Champagnie stopped a Spurs run in the second half.
• Victor Ease: Further evidence that he simply needed teammates looking for him: Wembanyama blocked Markkanen's three attempts in the first minute of the second half, gently placing the ball so his body was inches from the baseline.
• Keldon's Kitchen: Late in the first half, Johnson did what he's been better at doing this year: He pressured Markkanen into a steal on defense and then bounced off a defender for a bank shot into the goal.
• San Antonio has played so few close games in recent years that the fourth-quarter response to the Jazz, which made it a one-possession game (89-89, 91-91, 93-93, 95-95) , a wonderful thing were to consider.
• Wembanyama and Kessler, the league's top two shot blockers, each had a goal in the first minute. Three-pointers from Castle and Wembanyama gave San Antonio an early lead. Castle's second three – from Danny Green over the break spot – looked really solid. His third three from even further out looked lively. Sexton took advantage of the Spurs' sloppy ball handling and got two layups, and Patty Mills quickly scored five points to make the score 15. San Antonio lost six points after a flurry of turnovers and loss of possession. Wembanyama's step-back three brought the Spurs within 22-25.
• The Spurs regained the lead thanks to Wembanyama's free throws and an acrobatic layup from Blake Wesley. Jordan Clarkson's poor defensive approach earned him three fouls and the Spur tormentor had to go to the bench. Wembanyama's three-pointers gave San Antonio a four-point lead, which was erased by baskets from Collier and Markkanen. Vassell pushed beautiful jumpers around Markkanen's three-pointer. The Jazz's free throw prowess coupled with San Antonio's lost shooting touch allowed them to advance to the group stage.
• Back-to-back runs punctuated a superb third quarter – Spurs 5-0, Utah 6-0 and Spurs 7-0 – with Wembanyama's fifth three-pointer starting the second run and Barnes scoring twice. Barnes' third field goal of the frame tied the game at 62. John Collins and Kessler snuck to the top of the rim and missed numerous scoring opportunities, while Johnny Juzang scored three straight goals to put the Jazz back up to six. John Collins' second three-point play brought Utah within nine points. Zach Collins responded by hitting a wing three-pointer, starting a 10-0 run for San Antonio (the third of the quarter!). Vassell's points looked like what he always did for Spurs – smooth and elegant. Vassell found Zach Collins in traffic for a dunk, and John Collins picked up his fifth foul despite all the damage he did in the third period. Wesley did a great job of assisting Castle with a dunk and San Antonio won the quarter 37-29.
• At the start of the fourth period, Filipowski went on a personal 5-0 run, and Wembanyama responded by sending Markkanen into the air for a layup and his sixth three-pointer to tie the score at 87. San Antonio's shot once again gave it all away as the Jazz went up by four. Castle threw an alley-oop off the backboard to Wembanyama but was fouled by Sexton – nullifying the points. Castle's confident free throws again tied the score at 91. His bold charge around and through two Utah defenders tied the score at 93. Unfortunately, Clarkson started scoring at will with his three free throws and the score was 99-95. Vassell again drew multiple defenders and found Johnson for a reverse layup that was answered with an inexplicable tipback from Sexton.
• Markkanen fell awkwardly when he was fouled, but made 1 of 2 from the line, increasing the Jazz's lead to five. Shot after shot fell short for San Antonio until Paul Castle scored for a high-flying dunk. Chaos ensued on the Jazz's next possession as Wembanyama blocked several attempts and found Johnson Castle for a transition dunk. Sexton and Johnson exchanged clutch threes. Castle fouled Clarkson on a stepback three-pointer, and the San Antonian made 2 of 3 to make Utah 107-104. Clarkson flopped when Wembanyama touched him and the review for the offensive foul was not overturned. After Clarkson made his freebies, Champagnie hit a corner three to bring the Spurs within two points. Sexton made both free throws and Vassell's bench shot provided the decisive point of the game.

From a jazz fan's perspective, please visit SLC Dunk.

San Antonio continues its home opener against DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings on Monday night at 7:00 pm CDT.