White Poeltl lead Spurs past short-handed Jazz
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida: Jakob Poeltl knew the Utah Jazz were going to try to take away the perimeter.
So he took advantage of the interior scoring repeatedly on pick-and-roll and interior moves.
Derrick White scored 24 points, Poeltl added 19 points and 10 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs got a much-needed win over the short-handed Utah Jazz 119-111 on Friday (Saturday in Manila).
”I was a little more aggressive,” Poeltl said. ”We knew they were going to stay out with our shooters, so there was a little more room in the paint for me to move around. So I got going early today.”
Lonnie Walker and Rudy Gay both finished with 14 points for the Spurs, who moved into sole possession of 10th place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of surging Phoenix. The Suns are 4-0 since the NBA restart, but were idle Friday (Saturday in Manila).
San Antonio got a huge lift in the third quarter from the 33-year-old Gay, who scored 10 points during one stretch to help open a 16-point lead.
Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points off the bench to lead the Jazz, while Tony Bradley had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 11 rebounds.
Rudy Gobert (rest), Donovan Mitchell (left peroneal strain) and Mike Conley (right knee soreness) did not play for the Jazz, who were held to 41.8% shooting from the floor. Royce O’Neale (right calf soreness) and Nigel Williams-Goss (left ankle sprain) also sat out.
Clarkson said he may have tried to do too much with so many other players out.
”I was trying to be more aggressive and make plays for teammates,” he said. ”At one point, I was playing too fast and aggressive and coach told me to trust the plays.”
But he said the experience the young players gained is important.
”It makes everybody pick their game up,” Clarkson said.
Added Jazz coach Quin Snyder: ”They competed and that is our expectation for our whole group. For a player, every minute you are on a court matters.”
The Jazz fell a half-game behind Houston in the battle for fourth place in the West. The Rockets played the Lakers on Friday night.
Source: TheManila Times
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