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Kawhi Leonard leads San Antonio Spurs past Utah Jazz

By Mark Rosner, The Sports Xchange
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dribbles the ball and scans the floor. File photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/UPI
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dribbles the ball and scans the floor. File photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/UPI | License Photo

SAN ANTONIO -- Kawhi Leonard doesn't always save his best for the second half, but he did the last two games.

Leonard scored 19 of his 25 points in the third quarter, as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 109-103 Sunday afternoon.

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Two days earlier, Leonard scored 20 of his 28 in the second half, including 13 in the third quarter, of a 100-95 win at Oklahoma City.

Leonard hit all three of his 3-point shots against Utah after missing 19 of 21 -- including 17 straight -- in the previous three games.

Tony Parker scored 21 points for San Antonio (59-17). Reserves Jonathon Simmons and Pau Gasol scored 17 and 13, respectively. Gasol also grabbed 12 rebounds.

With the loss, Utah (47-30) leads the Los Angeles Clippers by a half game for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Boris Diaw and Rudy Gobert led Utah with 19 points each. Diaw converted all nine of his shots from the field. Gobert supplied 14 rebounds and six blocks. Gordon Hayward added 16 points for the Jazz.

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Utah trailed by just four after a short jump shot by Joe Johnson with 2:24 remaining, but San Antonio created some separation with a basket inside by Simmons, assisted by Gasol, and two free throws by Kyle Anderson (10 rebounds).

Both teams were without key players. Spurs starters LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green missed the game with a sprained left thumb and left quad contusion, respectively.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich elected to rest reserves Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills and David Lee.

Utah starting point guard George Hill and his primary backup, Raul Neto, missed their third consecutive game, both with strained groins. Starting forward Derrick Favors missed the game, his 13th straight, with a left knee contusion.

NOTES: San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Utah coach Quin Snyder deserves consideration for NBA coach of the year. Popovich also mentioned Miami's Erik Spoelstra, Houston's Mike D'Antoni, Philadelphia's Brett Brown and Memphis' David Fizdale. Brown is a former assistant to Popovich, and Snyder coached the Spurs' D-League team in Austin from 2007-10. He previously worked as a college and NBA assistant and head college coach at Missouri. "Even as a player in college (Duke), he was more cerebral than super talented," Popovich said. "When he started coaching in college, you could see that he was creative, he was clever. He's passionate and he's got a wealth of ideas." ... Former Spurs F Boris Diaw joined the Jazz this season, bringing with him vast experience and the espresso maker he keeps in his locker. "He's got, like, six guys drinking espresso now," Snyder said. "One of the biggest things is his unselfishness, his passing. Players learn things from each other."

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