Fox And Wembanyama Lead Spurs Past Jazz In Salt Lake City

The San Antonio Spurs, led by a scintillating performance from De'Aaron Fox and the towering presence of Victor Wembanyama, powered past the Utah Jazz 126-109 on Thursday night in Salt Lake City. The victory, coming just two days after a tough road loss, showcased the Spurs' resilience and ability to close out games—even when both squads were missing key contributors.

Fox was the story of the night, delivering 31 points on a red-hot 10-of-13 shooting, including a season-high six makes from beyond the arc. Twelve of those points came in the final six minutes and fifty-four seconds of the fourth quarter, where Fox’s sharpshooting and poise under pressure set the tone for a dominant San Antonio finish. According to multiple outlets, he drained four 3-pointers in the final frame—two of them back-to-back, assisted by Keldon Johnson, to push the Spurs’ lead to double digits with just over four minutes to play. "It was just another example of why he's one of the NBA's top closers," one analyst commented during the postgame breakdown.

Wembanyama, the Spurs’ rookie phenom, was nearly as impressive. He tallied 26 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks, bouncing back from a rough shooting night against Houston earlier in the week. Wembanyama shot 9-of-14 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and his defensive presence was felt throughout the game. His efforts were complemented by a strong supporting cast: Keldon Johnson poured in 21 points off the bench, Julian Champagnie added 17 points on five made threes, and Stephon Castle contributed 16 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.

The Jazz, dealing with the absence of All-Star Lauri Markkanen and center Walker Kessler, put up a fight behind rookie Ace Bailey’s career-high 25 points and Keyonte George’s 23. But the night belonged to Jusuf Nurkic, who notched his second consecutive triple-double with 17 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. Nurkic became the first Utah player to post back-to-back triple-doubles since Pete Maravich in January 1975, a feat that underscores his growing importance to the Jazz. However, despite his playmaking—many of his 14 assists came on slick back-door passes—Utah couldn’t keep pace in the final period.

After a tightly contested first quarter ended 31-31, the Spurs seized control with a 17-2 run early in the second. Champagnie’s fourth three of the half capped the surge, and San Antonio built a 15-point advantage before heading into halftime up 65-53. The Jazz, though, wouldn’t go quietly. They claimed the third quarter 39-32, whittling the deficit to just five points entering the final frame. A soaring dunk by Bailey tied the score at 99 with 10:29 left, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

That’s when Fox and the Spurs slammed the door. San Antonio responded with a game-defining 10-0 run, starting with a layup from Johnson and punctuated by Fox’s three-pointer. Even after Utah’s brief surge, Fox nailed back-to-back threes—one from the wing, another from the corner—to extend the lead to 115-105 with just over four minutes remaining. The Spurs closed the contest on a 9-0 run, ultimately outscoring the Jazz 27-10 in the final stretch. San Antonio finished the night shooting 50.6% from the field and an impressive 41.9% from deep, while also dominating fast-break points 32-10.

Coach Mitch Johnson drew praise for his tactical adjustments, particularly his decision to give seldom-used Jordan McLaughlin key minutes at the start of the second quarter. McLaughlin, playing meaningful minutes for the first time since November, helped spark the Spurs’ decisive second-quarter run, finishing with three rebounds and two assists in just nine minutes of action. "Credit McLaughlin for staying ready and making the most of some unexpected playing time. And his coach for believing in him," wrote a local columnist.

San Antonio was missing two important pieces: Devin Vassell, who sat out his 13th straight game with a groin injury, and backup center Luke Kornet, sidelined by left adductor tightness. Kornet’s absence forced the Spurs to dig deeper into their bench, giving rookie Carter Bryant (seven points, four rebounds in 13 minutes) and veterans Kelly Olynyk and Jeremy Sochan extra responsibility. Coach Johnson was optimistic about Kornet’s return, stating, "He’s been phenomenal. I’m not sure exactly where I would quantify what we’d expected, but he’s been more than that. And he’s obviously played more than just a few games without Victor. He’s played with Victor, he’s played alongside Victor and he has allowed us to continue to build a brand and style of play and identity we haven’t had to change, which is invaluable in this league."

On the other side, Utah’s woes without Markkanen continued. The Jazz are now 1-11 in games the Finnish forward has missed due to illness and reconditioning. Despite Nurkic’s record-setting triple-doubles and Bailey’s breakout, Utah’s defense remains a glaring issue—they currently allow an NBA-worst 127.3 points per game and have now dropped five of their last six contests.

The win improved San Antonio’s record to 31-14, good for the second-best mark in the Western Conference as of January 23, 2026. The Spurs have now won four of their last five outings and claimed victory in two of their three meetings with Utah this season. Meanwhile, the Jazz slipped to 15-30 and will need to regroup quickly, with a matchup against Miami looming on Saturday.

Looking ahead, the Spurs get a brief respite before hosting the struggling New Orleans squad on Sunday. With their bench stepping up and Fox and Wembanyama in top form, San Antonio looks poised to keep their momentum rolling as the season heats up.

For Jazz fans, the silver lining is the emergence of Bailey and the historic play of Nurkic. But unless they can shore up their defense and get healthy, the road back to contention remains steep. For now, the Spurs leave Salt Lake City with a statement win, their eyes firmly on the Western Conference summit.