Spurs Snap 16-Game Skid, Stifle Jazz Late in Win

The San Antonio Spurs are finally back in the win column after pulling out a gutsy win over the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena on Tuesday night.

Despite facing a potential 17 straight loss, the San Antonio Spurs pulled away from Utah Jazz in the closing minutes at Vivint Arena Tuesday night to secure a 102-94 win and snap a franchise-worst 16-game losing streak.

The Spurs (15-47) finish 1-10 in the month of February, as their last win had come in a 106-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 17. The win also marks San Antonio's first on the road since taking down the Houston Rockets on Dec. 19.

On Tuesday, however, the Spurs didn't let the past month or even the past few days get to their heads. San Antonio lost 118-102 to the Jazz on the same floor Saturday night, but answered the bell this time around despite trailing by as many as 10 in the closing stages of the third quarter.

San Antonio seized some must-have momentum after an 11-0 run in less than a two-minute span early in the fourth. This highlighted a final quarter that saw SA out-score Utah 31-21.

The Spurs got a team-high 25 points from forward Keldon Johnson, who had nine points in the final 3:28 of the fourth after San Antonio and Utah were tied at 90. Jazz guard Kris Dunn scored a layup with 3:17 to play to take a 92-91 lead, but this proved to be Utah's final field goal of the game, as the Spurs defense helped close things out.

Rookie forward Jeremy Sochan added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists while Devonte' Graham (12 points) and Doug McDermott (19 points) came up with huge contributions off the bench.

Utah was led by forward Lauri Markkanen, who had a game-high 28 points along with 10 rebounds. Rookie center Walker Kessler had an impressive stat line of 10 points and 15 rebounds while Talen Horton-Tucker added 16 points.

In a game where both teams shot under 31 percent from deep and 67 percent from the foul line, the Spurs forced 20 turnovers that they scored 22 points off of. In a low-scoring game by today's standards, this proved to be the difference.

The Spurs will now look to build their first winning streak since early December when they host the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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