Jazz Snap Five-Game Losing Streak vs Spurs, 128-109

The Utah Jazz got back on track versus the San Antonio Spurs.

The Utah Jazz defeated the San Antonio Spurs 128-109 Sunday night at the Delta Center. Their defense was a huge part in securing the victory. 

The Jazz forced 20 turnovers and held the Spurs to 48 points in the paint. That is no easy feat, considering the Spurs have 7'4 Victor Wembanyama as their starting center. Jazz head coach Will Hardy credited rookie forward Taylor Hendricks for his help slowing down the Spurs and Wembanyama in the post-game press conference.

"Taylor guarded Victor for the majority of the game,” Hardy said. “I think Taylor did a good job of using his speed and his length and tried to climb up underneath him [Wembanyama] a little bit and speed him up some.”

In the first quarter, Hendricks held Wembanyama to just four points on 2-for-5 shooting from the field and helped force him into committing three turnovers as his primary defender. The Jazz held the Spurs to 18 first-quarter points and headed into the second quarter with a 32-18 lead. 

The Jazz never looked back from the point, and Hendricks' defense on Wembanyama set the tone for the Jazz for the rest of the game. Hardy talked about how it was a team effort to slow down San Antonio's best player.

"I thought overall Taylor did a good job initially at the point of attack of not getting just blown by," Hardy said. "It allowed his teammates to help him. We wanted to show heavy shifts to Wembanyama when he was in the post and isolation. I thought Taylor did a good job at the point of attack, and everybody else helped behind him." 

Hendricks also played well on the offensive side of the ball and is starting to get more comfortable with every passing game. He shows the two-way potential the Jazz saw in him when they drafted him 9th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. Hardy also mentioned how Hendricks is progressing on offense.

"I thought he’s doing a good job of recognizing the spacing that he needs to play with," Hardy said. "I thought he had some moments where he did a good job reading close-outs. Like the baseline drive dunk he got in front of our bench I thought was a sign of him and all of the work he’s put in on making quick decisions with the ball. He’s getting a little bit more confidence as well which is natural."

💟 purple craze 💟#TakeNote | @tayxhendricks pic.twitter.com/sKDgYd9ee5

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2024

With only two starts under his belt, Hendricks will continue to gain confidence and grow as a player. The Jazz rookie has responded well from being thrown into the fire and will look to build on this performance when they hit the road to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

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