Ja'Kobi Gillespie scores 25, but Jazz beat Spurs 119-109

Jazz Take Control

Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 25 points, but the Utah Jazz defeated the San Antonio Spurs 119-109 in a preseason game Monday at Delta Center. Utah improved to 2-1 in the preseason, while San Antonio fell to 0-3. The Jazz were the home team in front of an attendance of 15,495.

Darryn Peterson paced Utah with 14 points and five assists. Mo Bamba collected nine rebounds for the Jazz. Gillespie's 25 points led San Antonio, with Jordan McLaughlin adding six assists and Tarris Reed Jr. grabbing 17 rebounds.

Third-Quarter Separation

Utah held a 33-26 advantage after the opening quarter and took a 68-61 lead into halftime. The Jazz then outscored the Spurs 31-17 in the third quarter to move ahead 99-78 after three periods.

The third began with two Darryn Peterson baskets before he later added a 23-foot running jump shot. Isaiah Collier made a 23-foot 3-pointer, and Mo Bamba scored on two alley-oop dunks, a tip shot and a two-point basket during the quarter. Josh Okogie also made a 25-foot 3-pointer for Utah.

Spurs Rally Late

San Antonio outscored Utah 31-20 in the fourth quarter, but the Jazz maintained the lead through the final period. Gillespie supplied a late burst for the Spurs, making three 3-pointers during a stretch that brought San Antonio from 90-112 to 99-112.

Jonas Aidoo answered with a dunk for Utah, but San Antonio kept coming as RJ Davis made a 24-foot 3-point step-back jumper and a running layup and Jon Elmore followed with a 24-foot running jump shot. Tamar Bates then made a 24-foot 3-pointer for the Jazz, and Harrison Ingram's 4-foot running pullup jump shot gave Utah its final points. Gillespie's driving layup accounted for the game's final points.

By the Numbers

The Jazz finished with 119 points to San Antonio's 109. Utah's quarter totals were 33, 35, 31 and 20. The Spurs scored 26, 35, 17 and 31 by quarter. After the game, Utah was 2-1 in the preseason and San Antonio was 0-3.

Sources

ESPN