The Jazz were not helped by Ricky Rubio early though, whose 8 turnovers put Utah in an early ten-point hole as the Spurs won the first period 32-21. On the other side, Patty Mills got going for 13 points and 4 assists. Pau Gasol turned in a strong showing with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Rudy Gay hit some nice shots, including a late 3PTer to pad a small lead in the final quarter, finishing with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Coach Popovich tried the Gasol/Gay/Leonard experiment in the starting lineup; only time will tell how effective he believes it was and helpful for future contests. Bryn Forbes provided 9 points on a trio of long balls, helping Danny Green out who struggled again for the Spurs. Tony Parker pitched in 9 points with 5 assists. J-Smoove had 8 points, as did Lauvergne (and 8 rebounds), and Kyle Anderson hit a three pointer in the third quarter and got a nice dunk in transition.
The star yet again was Kawhi Leonard, with 22 points and 7 rebounds. In the loss, Ricky Rubio finished with 11 assists to overshadow the early turnovers. The long ball game was not on point for the Spurs, but they made up for it with strong defense and getting to the free throw line (15-18 total). The Spurs wound up shooting one percent better at 48% for the game and five more blocks to stifle Utah, who are now adjusting to life without Gordon Hayward.