Third-quarter separation
A 31-point third quarter gave Utah the margin it needed, and the Jazz held on for a 119-109 preseason victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday at Delta Center. Darryn Peterson contributed 14 points and five assists for Utah, while San Antonio's Ja'Kobi Gillespie led all listed scorers with 25 points.
Utah outscored San Antonio 31-17 in the third quarter to turn a 68-61 halftime advantage into a 99-78 lead entering the fourth. The Jazz opened the second half with baskets from Peterson, including a 12-foot driving floating jump shot and a 9-foot pullup, before Isaiah Collier added a 23-foot 3-pointer.
Spurs make a late push
San Antonio answered by putting up 31 points in the fourth. Gillespie scored repeatedly during the rally, making three 3-pointers in succession as the Spurs cut the deficit from 22 points to 13.
The late run also included a 24-foot 3-point step-back jumper and a running layup from RJ Davis, followed by a 24-foot running jump shot from Jon Elmore. Utah countered with a 24-foot 3-pointer by Tamar Bates and a 4-foot running pullup from Harrison Ingram before Gillespie closed the scoring with a driving layup.
