The Spurs returned to action after their Christmas break with a win. Despite almost collapsing at the end after leading by as many as 20, they managed to narrowly avoid disaster and beat the Jazz 126-122 thanks to some clutch Tre Jones buckets.
It was close to a perfect start for the Spurs, who had a game plan and the focus to execute it. With the Jazz going big with Jarred Vanderbilt at one of the forward spots, San Antonio had someone it could ignore beyond the arc to send more bodies to the paint. As Jeremy Sochan did a good job on Lauri Markkanen and others roamed, there was not a lot of room for anyone on a bright yellow jersey to take open looks.