Jazz Drop Fifth Straight Game in Blowout Loss to Spurs

The Utah Jazz season continues to unravel as they dropped their fifth straight game on Monday night in a 119-97 blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Now just 1-6 on the season, the Jazz certainly have not lived up to expectations thus far.

Of course, injuries have contributed to this slow start, but Monday's loss was another example of Utah simply not having enough to compete with the best teams in the league for a full 48 minutes.

The Spurs took control of this game early on, outscoring the Jazz by 11 points in the opening quarter. Utah struggled offensively, shooting just 7-of-26 from the field in the period.

However, the Jazz punched back in the second quarter and actually pulled within a couple of points before the Spurs re-extended their lead before halftime. San Antonio ultimately entered the break with a 59-49 advantage.

The third quarter is where it all came to an end, as San Antonio outscored Utah 35-20 in the period. The Jazz simply couldn't get stops, allowing the Spurs to shoot 60% from the field in the quarter. At that point, the game was essentially out of reach.

Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 22 points and eight rebounds, continuing to be Utah's most reliable offensive option. Keyonte George added 14 points, six assists and three steals, providing production on both ends of the floor.

Jaxson Hayes continued his quietly productive season with nine points and five rebounds, while Mo Bamba chipped in eight points and eight boards off the bench.

The inability to match up with the Spurs across the board was a problem for Utah on both ends of the floor. San Antonio was able to get to its spots and score from all over the court, while the Jazz struggled offensively against a strong Spurs defense for a good chunk of the game.

San Antonio also dominated in transition and inside, outscoring Utah 26-9 in fast-break points and 52-36 in the paint. Those advantages made it extremely difficult for the Jazz to keep pace, especially when their half-court offense wasn't producing consistently.

At 1-6, the Jazz are quickly falling behind in the Western Conference standings. It's still early and there's plenty of basketball left to play, but at some point, winning games and getting back toward that .500 threshold is going to be important if this season is going to turn around.

With a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans coming Wednesday, snapping that five-game losing streak would be a step in the right direction for Utah.