SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Lauri Markkanen scored 29 points, Keyonte George added 28 and the Utah Jazz beat the Spurs 127-114 on Saturday night, ending the Spurs’ league-high eight-game winning streak.
San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama returned to the starting lineup and played 27 minutes and 42 seconds, scoring 32 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 assists. It was Wembanyama’s first start since Nov. 14 against the Golden State Warriors, when he strained his left calf and missed 12 games.
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Utah defeated the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons 131-129 on Friday, beating two of the NBA’s top three teams on consecutive nights.
Walter Clayton Jr. scored 17 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 16 for the Jazz, who have won two straight after losing four straight.
Keldon Johnson added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, and Stephen Castle scored 20 points.
The Spurs were without De’Aaron Fox, who missed the game with left adductor tightness.
Utah State took the lead midway through the second quarter and didn’t relinquish it. The Jazz’s lead expanded to 17 points and did not fall below 10 points in the third quarter until the Spurs rallied in the fourth quarter.
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As the Spurs rallied from a double-digit deficit early in the fourth quarter, Wembanyama sprinted to the paint and unleashed a powerful one-handed dunk. With 8:49 left in the game, Wembanyama’s free throw cut Utah’s once sizable lead to 104-101.
This game is the Spurs’ first back-to-back home games in six weeks. The Spurs have spent 28 of the past 34 days on the road, including the NBA Cup semifinals and finals in Las Vegas.
The Spurs lost to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup Finals, but the championship does not count toward NBA standings or statistics.
Next
Jazz: Host Boston on Tuesday.
Spurs: Host Cleveland on Monday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba