Gillespie's 25 Points Can't Lift Spurs Past Jazz, 119-109

Spurs unable to erase deficit

Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 25 points, but the San Antonio Spurs fell 119-109 to the Utah Jazz in a preseason game Monday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. San Antonio trailed 33-26 after the first quarter and remained behind at halftime, when Utah held a 68-61 lead.

Darryn Peterson paced Utah with 14 points and five assists. The Jazz also got nine rebounds from Mo Bamba as they improved to 2-1 in the preseason. The Spurs dropped to 0-3.

Jazz extend lead after halftime

The teams matched each other with 35 points in the second quarter, leaving Utah with its seven-point advantage at the break. The Jazz then created more separation in the third, outscoring San Antonio 31-17.

Utah led 99-78 entering the fourth quarter. The Jazz's third-quarter scoring included a 23-foot running jump shot from Peterson, a pair of alley-oop dunks by Bamba and a 25-foot 3-pointer by Josh Okogie.

San Antonio makes a late push

The Spurs scored 31 points in the fourth quarter, while Utah scored 20. Gillespie supplied a significant portion of San Antonio's late offense, making three 3-pointers during the quarter before adding a driving layup.

That surge narrowed the margin, but Utah maintained the lead through the final sequence. Tamar Bates made a 24-foot 3-pointer for the Jazz, and Harrison Ingram followed with a 4-foot running pullup jump shot before Gillespie's final basket brought San Antonio to 109 points.

Key numbers

Jordan McLaughlin finished with six assists for San Antonio, while Tarris Reed Jr. had 17 rebounds. For Utah, Peterson had five assists and Bamba grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

The Jazz played at home before an announced attendance of 15,495. The quarter scores were San Antonio 26, 35, 17 and 31, and Utah 33, 35, 31 and 20.

Sources

ESPN