NBA 2018-19: 3 talking points from San Antonio Spurs' payback win over Utah Jazz

The San Antonio Spurs had just been defeated by the Utah Jazz five nights before in a 34-point rout. However, that shouldn't have made the Jazz complacent with respect to San Antonio's abilities to take over a game.

And now it definitely won't because that is exactly what happened in this matchup from start to end, with Popovich's men beating the visitors 110-97.

The Spurs entered this game coming off of a 133-120 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday after falling to the same Lakers team last Wednesday, and had another redemption run due with the Utah Jazz.

With this victory, the Spurs improved to 13-14 while at the same time the Jazz slid to an identical 13-14 win-loss record in the West. Utah will face Oklahoma City next, a team that's currently 2nd in the West while the Spurs wait to make good work of the Suns in their upcoming matchup.

Let's direct ourselves now to a few key takeaways from Spurs' win over the Jazz.

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#1 DeMar DeRozan scores a team-high 26 points

DeRozan is averaging 24.7 points per game this season.

DeRozan has been averaging 24.6 points per game for the last 10 games. He dropped a combined total of 68 points in a couple of matchups against the Lakers and is starting to look like the DeRozan we know and love.

He has had three 30-point games in the past six contests and had a decent 26-point team-high night against the Utah Jazz, finishing with 16 at the half.

The four-time All-Star shot a bearable 10 of 23 from the floor and was perfect (6-6) from the free-throw line in the 38 minutes he was on the court. He dished out 8 dimes and pulled down 6 boards, along with 2 steals and a single block.

#2 Rubio & Mitchell combine for 53 points, but it was not enough

Utah Jazz v Indiana Pacers

Ricky Rubio is continuing with his previous season's average of 13 ppg, but this was his highest score in the last 5 matchups.

The Jazz got a terrific game from Ricky Rubio, who scored 26 points on 11-of-23 shooting, while his sophomore teammate contributed with 27 points of his own (all of which were scored in the second half, as he was held scoreless by the Spurs in the first two quarters).

After scoring relentlessly to get back in the third quarter, the Jazz could only get to 5 points of the Spurs in the fourth, but not any nearer. The visitors showed heart in the second half, leading a late rally, but the second quarter hole proved to be too deep to come out of.

"Sometimes when on your offense, you're not executing, it just hurts your defense," Mitchell said. "That's what we put our staple on, defensively, and being able to execute out of our defense."

Rudy Gobert was the only other Jazz player who scored in double digits, finishing with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.

#3 Utah commit 16 turnovers while San Antonio shoot 91% from the FT line

Utah

are

committing an average 22 personal fouls per game this season.

The final score would suggest that the Spurs beat the Jazz by just 13 points, but the hosts were pretty much dominant for most of the game, especially after a 17-0 run from the end of the first quarter through the beginning of the second.

The Spurs held the Jazz to 18 points in the first and second quarters which turned out to be a season-low for points allowed by an opponent in the first half.

Utah's powerhouse sophomore, Donovan Mitchell was held scoreless in the first half as San Antonio raced to a 54-36 lead while holding Utah to 36 percent shooting.

The Spurs shot an impressive 53% from the field as a unit and restricted the Jazz to a total of under-100 points at the same time. Spurs blocked the ball 7 times in the game and produced 16 turnovers out of the Jazz offense.

They outrebounded Utah both on the offensive (10) and defensive (36) glass.

"The last couple of games we looked better at the defensive end," Popovich said. "More communication, a little more understanding. Guys get used to playing with each other and understanding what the process is for the way we want to play. I think it's sinking in, so we'll see if it continues."