NBA: De’Aaron Fox delivers in clutch as Spurs slow Jazz

De’Aaron Fox drained four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high 31 points as the San Antonio Spurs pulled away late to defeat the Utah Jazz 126-109 on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

Victor Wembanyama added 26 points and 14 rebounds for San Antonio, which has won four of its last five games and owns the second-best record in the Western Conference. Keldon Johnson chipped in 21 points as the Spurs continued their strong run.

Utah rookie Ace Bailey, out of Rutgers, scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Jazz. Jusuf Nurkic recorded 17 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his second straight triple-double, becoming the first player in franchise history to post consecutive triple-doubles since Pete Maravich did it with the New Orleans Jazz in 1975. Despite the effort, Utah has now lost five of its last six games.

Bailey’s soaring dunk tied the game at 99 with 10:29 remaining, but San Antonio quickly seized control with a decisive 10-0 run. The spurt began with a layup by Johnson and ended with a 3-pointer from Fox. After Utah briefly responded with six straight points, Fox hit back-to-back threes from the wing and the corner to give the Spurs a 115-105 lead with 4:20 left. He added another 3-pointer at the three-minute mark as San Antonio closed the game on a 9-0 run.

The teams were meeting for the second time in four days and finished the first quarter tied at 31. Utah went cold early in the second quarter, allowing San Antonio to build a 48-33 lead with 7:48 remaining. The Spurs carried a 65-53 advantage into halftime.

The third quarter featured four-point plays by both teams in a span of less than a minute. Wembanyama converted a four-point play after being fouled by Nurkic on a 3-pointer with 8:55 left. Forty-six seconds later, Keyonte George, who scored 23 points, answered with his own four-point play after being fouled by Stephon Castle.

Utah tied the game at 81 on a baseline dunk by Cody Williams with 4:15 left in the third quarter, but San Antonio closed the period strong. The Spurs took advantage of a technical foul on Jazz veteran Kevin Love and entered the fourth quarter with a 97-92 lead.

San Antonio won two of the three meetings between the teams this season.

— Field Level Media/Reuters