Recap: Hollow Utah Jazz spurred by, you guessed it, the Spurs

One look at the injury report, and it was clear that the Utah Jazz were welcoming Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio into the Delta Center for a 48-minute formality. We can do the whole song and dance, or you can kindly take your victory and go.

No Lauri Markkanen, as he is still absent with the bubonic plague, or polio, or smallpox, or whatever illness has kept him sidelined for the past chunk of games. Cody Williams and Svi Mykhailiuk were officially in the starting lineup for this one, but with Keyonte George fresh off a 43-point season-high, and Jusuf Nurkic having just posted a triple-double in the same century win for head coach Will Hardy.

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But that was the only win Utah had picked up without the Finnisher to that point in the season, and it took all-world performances from George, Nurkic, and a 15-point fourth quarter comeback. Still, with all the confidence of a wild west gunslinger standing 20 paces from Fingerless Floyd at high noon, Keyonte George is enjoying the type of season where he can seemingly beat anybody when he’s on his game.

Keyonte George is often on his game these days.

So, it’s sort of challenging to define expectations for the Utah Jazz as the 2nd-best team in the West, San Antonio, entered the Salt Lake Valley with their full lineup of Fox, Castle, Harper, and some French fellow named Victor all available. The Spurs are both young and legitimate threats for the title this year — well ahead of schedule and joining Oklahoma City as the youthful leaders of the Western Conference, with a disturbingly wide window for contention.

Utah’s situation is… different. It’s been a slow burn, but the youth of Utah are beginning to find solid ground. George and Sensabaugh, especially, are giving observers reason to believe in their upside. Those players are in their third seasons — the fifth pick in the 2025 draft, however, is really beginning to put it together.

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Squaring off against his old Rutgers teammate, Ace Bailey started hot, knocking down his first four shots in the first quarter and tallying 10 points in the opening frame.

Then, in the second half, in the midst of a San Antonio separation act, Cody Williams uncorked the Delta Center with a coast-to-coast yam in rush-hour traffic.

It feels like Cody is good for a pair of dunks per game these days, but that? No, your honor, I cannot identify Cody Williams in that video, but I believe I spotted Giannis Antetokounmpo wearing number 5 in white.

But Cody’s flight was but a gentle distraction as the Spurs pushed their lead to double-digits and entered halftime with a 12-point advantage.

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I say this with only the slightest hint of irony: Jusuf Nurkic may actually be the love child of Nikola Jokic and 2016-17 Russell Westbrook. For the second straight game, the Bosnian Beast posted a triple-double. His dominance was so potent that even as the Spurs carried a double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter, they sent double-teams on his late-game touches.

If this were the first basketball game someone had ever watched, they might think that Nurkic was the best player on planet Earth. Victor Wembanyama was not enough to neutralize his offensive powers. 17 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. Yeesh.

Meanwhile, Ace Bailey messed around and posted yet another career high, notching 25 points just after his previous high. He’s high-flying as always, feasting off a healthy helping of off-ball movement and cuts to the rim, while being more selective with his jump shots.

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Alas, the Spurs controlled late, pushing their lead and leading 126-109 as time expired.

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.