Spurs wallop injury-riddled Jazz

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Nov 22, 2008 by Tim Buckley Deseret News

SAN ANTONIO -- The Jazz haven't won here in what seems like forever, prompting San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to joke before Friday night's game that that's bound to change some day.

"Percentages are with them, without a doubt," Popovich said.

Making Popovich prophetic will have to wait until another day, however, because none of the numbers went Utah's way on this one.

San Antonio beat the Jazz 119-94 in a meeting of two injury- riddled teams at AT&T Center, and did it behind a season-best 61- point opening half followed by a 34-point third quarter.

With that, 8-5 Utah -- which closes a back-to-back road set tonight at Memphis -- fell for the 19th straight time in the regular season at San Antonio, and for the 22nd consecutive time here including playoff games.

But it wasn't where they lost as much as how that stung most.

"I don't care if you're at home, on the road, in your backyard - someone scores 61 points in the first half, it's hard to beat 'em," said Jazz small forward C.J. Miles, who posted a 16-point, 10- rebound double double.

"I hate losing (at AT&T Center), with a passion," Miles added. "I hate losing, period. Anywhere. But, I mean, knowing the history we've got in this building, you come in with a little more chip on your shoulder, knowing you want to get a win."

Yet that still couldn't propel the Jazz, who are now 0-15 all- time in the building that the Spurs currently call home.

Nor could the fact that San Antonio is about as injury-decimated as Utah is.

The Jazz were without not only two of their 2008 Olympians, starting point guard Deron Williams (ankle) and two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer (quadriceps/kneecap), but also backup shooting guard Kyle Korver (wrist) and reserve big man Jarron Collins (elbow).

But the Spurs were without two huge names of their own, starting point guard Tony Parker (ankle) and sixth man Manu Ginobili (ankle).

And that didn't prevent 6-6 San Antonio -- which got a season- high 29 points, including 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, out of journeyman guard Roger Mason Jr.; a career-high 23 points off the bench from rookie point George Hill; and another 18 from aging All- Star Tim Duncan -- from rolling anyway.

"That's what they get paid to do," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, whose own club is now 6-0 at home but 2-5 away from EnergySolutions Arena. "I mean, that's why I'm concerned about our guys. They get paid to play on the road the same as they do at home, and we didn't come out with any energy."

The Jazz actually were up by as many as nine early at 20-11, but the Spurs closed the opening quarter with an 18-4 run.

San Antonio led by eight at the break, though only after shooting guard Ronnie Brewer threw the ball away on what could have been a final possession--allowing Mason to drive past Brewer on the other end and make it 61-53.

"That would have maybe kept us alive a little bit," Sloan said of the squandered late-half opportunity.

"But they came out to destroy us, and they did a good job of doing it," he added. "We didn't stand up to them. We weren't strong enough mentally to stay with what you've got to do if you're gonna have a chance, especially against this team. We haven't beat them here in 45 years. So, it's kind of disheartening."

Utah did get to within six when Miles fed Brewer for a dunk early in the third quarter.

But the Spurs -- who actually last lost to the Jazz in San Antonio back on Feb. 28, 1999, when John Stockton and Karl Malone still were running the pick-and-roll, and Bill Clinton still was in the White House -- led by double digits for the game's final 23- plus minutes.

"They just got up and got after us defensively," said Sloan, whose Jazz trailed by 22 or more, and by as many as 30, throughout the fourth quarter. "They were terrific defensively, and they took us out of our offense, and we started kind of going a little bit on our own.

"We never did have much of a team concept at all, it seemed like, on the offensive end," he added after Utah hit just 2-of-13 from 3- point range while San Antonio made 15-of-25 from behind the long- distance line. "Same thing defensively. We couldn't get over screens. Didn't have any energy. I don't know where our energy is."

E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com