Miserable Third Quarter Dooms Jazz Against Spurs
Nov 21, 2024, 9:28 PM
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy speaks to Lauri Markkanen #23 (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz fell to the San Antonio Spurs 126-118 after a difficult third quarter undid a 16 point halftime lead.
Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points to lead the Jazz while Brice Sensabaugh scored 18 off the bench.
Related: Brice Sensabaugh Explodes For 13 Points In Second Quarter
The Spurs were led by Harrison Barnes who scored 25 points in 37 minutes.
The Jazz were playing without Walker Kessler (hip) and Jordan Clarkson (plantar fasciitis), while the Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama (knee), Devin Vassell (knee), and Jeremy Sochan (thumb).
Third Quarter Struggles Haunt Jazz Against Spurs
The Jazz led the Spurs 67-51 at halftime after a stellar showing in the first two periods.
Over the first 24 minutes, the Jazz shot 50 percent from the floor and 39 percent from three while recording 16 assists to only three turnovers.
“I thought the first half, the energy, the tempo, the ball movement, [and] the competitive spirit of the team, was as good as we’ve seen in a while,” coach Will Hardy said.
Key got the party started from deep with this one 🥳
Squad has đťźđťź threes at the half 💧💧💧#TakeNote presented by @pura pic.twitter.com/tlq7UD0AOk
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 22, 2024
But after the strong showing, the Jazz turned in arguably their worst quarter of the season in the third.
The team shot 6-23 from the floor, including 0-5 from the three-point line while committing seven turnovers to just two assists.
“The types of shots we generated weren’t the same, and when that happened, our energy, physicality, all of those things dipped,” Hardy said. “We should not expect to blow anybody out.”
Keyonte George had 10 points in the quarter to help keep the Jazz afloat, but none of his teammates made more than one field goal in the quarter.
2 + 1 = 🔑 pic.twitter.com/TH0BEx9js5
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 22, 2024
The Spurs were far from stellar in the quarter shooting just 40 percent from the floor and 2- percent from three, but still outscored the Jazz 34-22 in the frame.
Even before Thursday’s difficult outing, the Jazz have struggled in third quarters all season.
Through 15 games this season, the Jazz have been outscored by an average of 5.1 points in the third, the largest discrepancy in any of the four quarters.
Filipowski Leaves Game With Ankle Injury, Rookies Struggle
As if the Jazz’s third quarter wasn’t difficult enough, they also lost Kyle Filipowski to an ankle injury in the waning moments of the period.
The rookie stepped on a Spurs player’s foot and limped off the floor with three minutes left in the quarter.
The Jazz quickly ruled Filipowski out for the remainder of the game with what the team called a sprained ankle.
“It’s a sprained ankle,” Hardy said. “The severity of that […] will be determined probably tomorrow when he wakes up.”
the rook knows a mismatch when he sees one đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/eRcu8hgJQs
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 22, 2024
Related: Kyle Filipowski Throws Down Poster Against Spurs
Filipowski’s injury was part of a rough night overall for the three Jazz rookies.
Cody Williams scored zero points and grabbed two rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. The lottery pick has now been held scoreless in five of his last seven appearances.
Isaiah Collier recorded six assists and three rebounds but scored only four points on 1-8 shooting.
Filipowski’s nine rebounds were a new career-high, but he too struggled from the floor scoring four points on 1-6 shooting.
Utah Jazz Next Broadcast
The Jazz will return home to face the New York Knicks on Saturday at 3 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
