The San Antonio Spurs don’t give Utah Jazz a chance in their own hall, also because DeMar DeRozan could not be stopped by Jazz. At the same time, the Charlotte Hornets in the Big Apple are winning a sovereign victory. At the New York Knicks, however, the performances of Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina are a reason for joy.
The Utah Jazz still have problems on the offensive. Against San Antonio Spurs they scored only 36 points in the first half. The Jazz only hit 15 throws and already had 9 ball losses on their own account.
It was of no use that the Jazz doubled their score in the third section. The Spurs led in the meantime with 21 points and left nothing burning in the second half. Even Donovan Mitchell’s 27 points (8/21 FG) could not change this. The Guard scored all his points in the second half. Ricky Rubio scored 26 points on 8 out of 21 throws from the field.
In the Spurs, DeMar DeRozan was the top scorer with 26 points (10/23 FG). He also came on 8 assists and 6 boards. Rudy Gay (23 points, 15 rebounds) and LaMarcus Aldridge (20, 6) also brought stable performances to the stage. “We remembered the defeat in Utah and wanted to start defensively at home,” Gay said after the game. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich celebrated his 1210th victory in his career against the Jazz and thus equalled Pat Riley’s fourth place in the eternal table.
The Jazz have directly the next heavy game in front of their chest: In the night from Monday to Tuesday they have to ran in Oklahoma against the Thunder. The Spurs receive the Phoenix Suns in San Antonio one night later.
The New York Knicks never led the game against the Hornets once. Already at half time the guests from Charlotte had gained a solid cushion of 14 points. In the meantime, the Hornets even led with 28 points in the third quarter.
In the first quarter Cody Zeller started like the fire brigade and scored 10 points with a perfect quota from the field, before Kemba Walker ran hot in the second section. Walker was the top scorer with 25 points (8/20 FG) and 6 rebounds. Jeremy Lamb contributed 19 points (8/12 FG), Tony Parker came 16 points from the bench. Marvin Williams (13) and Cody Zeller (12) also score in double digits.
On the side of the Knicks some individual performances could comfort over the clear defeat. Rookie Kevin Knox stood a full 41 minutes, came on a double (26 points and 15 boards) and scored four of his eight attempts from downtown. Tim Hardaway Jr. also had a good line with 21 points (3/5 three) and 5 assists. But he also threw the ball away five times. Frank Ntilikina convinced from the bench in the last section with 18 points (7/11 FG) in 20 minutes. The Frenchman fouled out nine minutes before the end of the match. “Frank was good with not playing. Now he has taken his chance,” said Knicks coach David Fizdale. He took two technical fouls 8:33 minutes before the end and was ejected.
The Hornets must play an important game against the Detroit Pistons in the fight for the playoffs in the east in the night from Monday to Tuesday. The second leg will be against the Knicks, who have to play against the Cavaliers in Cleveland.