Biggest Winners & Losers From Spurs Win Over Jazz

The Utah Jazz came up short against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Utah Jazz battled the San Antonino Spurs in Texas, hoping to extend some additional holiday cheer to the 801. Unfortunately, the Jazz began quite sluggishly, and the Grinch stole the day after Christmas.

Emotions boiled on high as Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich out-dueled a former under study in Utah's head man Will Hardy. The former's game plan was on point and eventually built a 20-point lead in favor of the Spurs. A final surge by the Jazz would not bridge the gap, and the Spurs were victorious, 126-122.

The Jazz recorded five double-digit scorers, led by Lauri Markkanen's 32 points, 12 boards, one assist, and two blocks. He received assistance from Jordan Clarkson's 25 points, seven boards, and four assists, while Mike Conley tossed in 17 points, six assists, five boards, three steals, and one block. 

The Jazz are now 19-17 and ranked No. 9 in the Western Conference, which means they remain in the playoff picture.

The Spurs unleashed seven double-digit scorers, led by guard Devin Vassell's 24 points, eight assists, six boards, two blocks, and two steals. Forward Keldon Johnson scored 21 points, with five assists, three boards, and two steals, and Coach 'Pop' received an incredible bench performance from Malaki Branham's 20 points. 

The Spurs are now 11-22 and ranked 14th of 15 teams in the Western Conference. Any loss is unwelcome, but the Jazz should view this one as costly. 

Legitimate playoff teams cannot afford to lose games to sub-.500 opponents, and this happened to the Jazz against the Spurs.

Here are the holiday winners and losers from the contest.

Winner: Coach Popovich

Popovich has guided the Spurs to five NBA Championships, so you can expect he has seen almost every nuke and cranny the game has to offer. Teachers and/or leaders do not want a reputation of losing to students or understudies, as was the case in this initial meeting with Hardy. 

But Pop structured a game plan that suffocated the Jazz early, and they could not fully recover. Pop will publicly treat this as a regular game, but inside we know this is not just an average win. In addition, the Jazz are a playoff-caliber team, and the Spurs are rebuilding, which boosts his resume.

Coach Pop has brought great joy, winning, and needed opinions in the game of basketball for a long time. His presence is closer to ending than staying, and he will leave a void that may never be replaced. 

Loser: Rudy Gay

Gay received nearly 16 minutes of game-time action, scored zero points, and grabbed four rebounds. It's a mystery why he is receiving any minutes at this stage of the season. 

The Jazz are pushing for the playoffs while trying to develop their young talent when minutes are available. Gay is the type of player that subtracts from actual winning and stands in the way of developmental minutes for younger players. 

Coach Hardy should at least consider removing Gay from all rotations, as he cannot be regarded as a critical piece for the future or a rebuilding team. And teams using this 'he's a good locker room guy' excuse is vastly overrated. If a player cannot help win on the court, it's time to move.

Winner: Lauri Markkanen

In addition to the stats above, Markkanen continues gaining momentum as an All-Star candidate. Sometimes we tune in to watch a game while failing to realize these NBA players are the best in the world. 

When you become the face of your team, the opposition will attempt to devise a game plan geared to stop you or at least slow down your production. Markkanen was still able to record a double-double and impress across the NBA basketball world.

Loser: Jazz Starters

The starters came out flat and eventually trailed by 20 points. Also, no starter registered a positive game rating which is never a good sign. The 801 must wonder how the starters came out behind the eight-ball. 

Maybe it was the Christmas festivities, but the starters should be willing to set the tone every night, and everyone cannot register — game ratings, let's turn up the heat early and often for the 801.

Bottom Line

This became a letdown game for the Jazz in multiple ways, and the emotion was high due to Popovich and Hardy's relationship. The Jazz nearly battled back but fell short in its bid for victory. 

Utah should circle all non-play-off teams and make an effort not to lose those games. Utah gets only a little time to ponder the loss as the Jazz will face the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in the Bay.

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