SAN ANTONIO (AP) -The Utah Jazz had a mirror-image meltdown in Game 2 of the Western Conference final.
The Jazz never led against the San Antonio Spurs, got only as close as seven points in the fourth quarter before losing 105-96 Tuesday night.
The Jazz struggled in the second quarter of Game 2 just as they did during Game 1, meaning that for the second time in the playoffs they are down two games as they head home for Games 3 and 4 against San Antonio.
Down 26-24 after the first 12 minutes, they were outscored by the Spurs 32-17 in the second quarter. At the break, San Antonio was up 58-41.
On Sunday in Game 1 the Jazz were down 23-20 after one before San Antonio outscored them 31-16 in the second quarter for a 54-36 halftime lead. A late run by the Jazz brought them as close as seven in the fourth, but the Spurs won 108-100.
What happened to close the second summed up Utah’s rough night.
With under a minute to play in the half, Utah didn’t get a shot off before the shot clock expired, and the Spurs’ Brent Barry hit a 3 from the corner to put San Antonio up 58-41 with 8.9 seconds left in the half. The Jazz got two more possessions after that, but gave up the ball both times for their ninth and 10th turnovers of the night.
Carlos Boozer took on the role of Deron Williams, who had a career-high 34 points on Sunday, during Game 2. Boozer had 33 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Williams with 26 points and 10 assists.
The Jazz were down 0-2 in their first-round series with the Houston Rockets. They forced a Game 7 in Houston and won, sending them to the Western Conference semifinals against the Golden State Warriors. The Jazz won that series in five games.
The Jazz, in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1998, have now lost 18 straight games in San Antonio, dating to 1999.
Add A Comment