Collin Sexton scored 23 points and Jordan Clarkson canned four key free throws in the final 12 seconds to help the visiting Utah Jazz beat the San Antonio Spurs 111-110 on Saturday.
The game was tied when the fourth quarter began and was still even at 95 with five minutes to play. The Jazz used a ringing 3-pointer by Clarkson to build a five-point lead with 2:44 left, but San Antonio closed to within a point twice, the final time when Keldon Johnson poured in a 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining.
Clarkson then made two of three free throws with 11.8 seconds to play, allowing the Spurs a shot for a chance to tie the game. After a timeout, the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama was called for an offensive foul while setting a pick on Clarkson
Lauri Markkanen added 20 points for the Jazz, with Clarkson finishing with 16, John Collins producing 15 points and 10 rebounds and Johnny Juzang notching 10 points.
Wembanyama led the Spurs with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Stephon Castle had 23 points, Devin Vassell scored 21, Johnson hit for 14 and Harrison Barnes tallied 10 in the loss.
San Antonio was down 25-22 after the first period and trailed 39-34 midway through the second until Vassell’s 3-pointer started a 7-0 run that pushed the Spurs to a 41-39 lead with 4:03 left in the half.
The Jazz answered with a three-point play by Sexton and three free throws from Juzang to regain the front and carried a 53-45 lead into the break.
Markkanen led all scorers with 15 points before halftime, while Sexton had 10 points for the Jazz. Wembanyama canned four 3-pointers in the first half and paced San Antonio with 14 points. Vassell, making his season debut after missing the Spurs’ first nine games with a broken hand, scored 10 points off the bench.
The Spurs rallied to tie the game at 62 on Barnes’ setback 3-pointer near the midway point of the third quarter. Utah swung back, forging its largest lead of the game with a 13-4 run that featured a dunk and a pair of three-point plays by John Collins. The Spurs finished the period with a 16-7 spurt to even the score at 82 heading into the final quarter.
