NBA roundup: Spurs get a much-needed win over Jazz
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.
“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.
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.
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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.
Crawford 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,” Crawford 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,“ Crawford 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.“
In other games Friday:
Brooklyn 119, Sacramento 106: Caris LeVert scored 22 points, Jarrett Allen cntributed 17 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the patchwork Nets, who clinched a playoff berth.
The surprising Nets came to the bubble without stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving but continued to display plenty of fight, improving to 3-2 since coming to Florida. Joe Harris added 21 points, shooting 8 of 11 from the field, including 5 of 7 from three-point range.
Memphis 121, Oklahoma City 92: Dillon Brooks scored 22 points, and the Grizzlies claimed their first win since the restart to hold onto sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference. Jonas Valanciunas had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Ja Morant had 19 points and nine assists for Memphis.
Chris Paul scored 17 points and Luguentz Dort added 16 for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s leading scorer this season, finished with 10 points on 3 for 13 shooting.
Philadelphia 108, Orlando 101: Tobias Harris had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Joel Embiid turned in a strong second half and finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds and Philadelphia held off Orlando in their first game without All-Star Ben Simmons.
Simmons is out indefinitely after injuring his knee Wednesday night. Alec Burks had 22 points off the bench and Al Horford stepped into the starting lineup and finished with 21 points and nine rebounds.
New Orleans 118, Washington 107: Jrue Holiday scored 28 points, and New Orleans defeated Washington without star rookie Zion Williamson, improving its chances of earning a Western Conference playoff spot.
Williamson, the top pick in the 2019 NBA draft, rested.
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