Spurs: Ageless San Antonio heats up fast after slow start

San Antonio came to Utah on Saturday for its fourth game in five nights.

The Spurs were playing back-to-back, after coming from behind to beat Minnesota on Friday night.

San Antonio All-Stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each played 35 minutes against the Timberwolves, making everyone wonder if coach Gregg Popovich would rest them against the Jazz.

It seemed like an ideal scenario for Utah, especially in the first six minutes.

San Antonio missed 10 of its first 12 shots and appeared a little leg-weary. Duncan and Parker were ineffective as the Jazz jumped to a 6-0 lead. Had Utah figured out how to stop the fifth highest-scoring team in the NBA?

No. After the slow start, San Antonio exploded. Duncan ended up scoring 22 points, Parker added 15 and the Spurs rolled to a 100-84 victory.

The game turned with amazing swiftness. After the Spurs scored four points in the opening 5:44, they scored 51 over the next 18:16.

San Antonio built a 23-17 lead at the end of the first quarter, a 55-40 advantage at halftime and a 77-58 lead late in the third quarter.

"They don't panic," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "They've been through situations before. They know the feel of the game — when to make moves and when to make the right passes."

Duncan's performance was particularly eye-opening. He got the Spurs going by scoring six of their first 12 points.Midway through the second quarter, the Spurs' Matt Bonner took advantage of two defensive lapses to get wide-open at the 3-point line.

When Jeremy Evans sagged off Bonner, the Spurs kicked the ball to him. His 3-pointers highlighted a 9-2 run that gave San Antonio a 47-28 lead. Utah never got closer than nine.

"They are a veteran club," Corbin said. "They know what to do, when to do it and how to do it. They showed us. They just continue to execute and, if you make any mistake or slip up, they make you pay for it." —

Old pros don't panic

• Tim Duncan scores 22 points in 29 minutes to lead San Antonio past Utah, 100-84.

• The Jazz's defense crumbles after a good start. The Spurs score four points in the opening 5:46.

• San Antonio misses 10 of its first 12 field-goal attempts but ends up shooting 46.6 percent.