Leonard has 22 points, Spurs beat Jazz
SAN ANTONIO - Kawhi Leonard had 22 points and the San Antonio Spurs never trailed in a 118-81 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
San Antonio is 21-5, the second-best start in franchise history, on the strength of a 13-0 home record.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker added 18 points each for the Spurs.
Derrick Favors led the Jazz with 16 points.
San Antonio led by as many as 46 points while continuing its league-leading defensive efforts.
The Spurs have held 13 of their past 14 opponents under 100 points and led by at least 20 points at the half in three of their last five games.
The Jazz entered the game averaging 97.8 points per game but suffered season-lows for total points and with 36 first-half points. They matched a season low with 15 points in the first quarter only when Trey Burke hit a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining.
San Antonio thoroughly dominated the first half, shooting 56 percent from the field and holding a 26-14 advantage in rebounds.
San Antonio shot 60 percent from the field after three quarters and finished at 56 percent. The Spurs had 24 assists on 42-for-75 shooting.
The team's good-to-great mantra was evident early as Boris Diaw and Patty Mills both passed up 3-pointers for a better shot. Danny Green missed an open 3-footer on the possession, but David West collected the rebound for a layup and a foul that led to a three-point play.
It was an unselfish pattern that kept Utah off balance all game.
Green gave up a fast-break layup with a couple of steps on two defenders to scoop the ball to a charging Leonard, who threw down a one-handed dunk that gave San Antonio a 76-43 lead with 7 minutes left in the third quarter. The Spurs extended that lead to 81-43 before beginning to empty their bench.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Utah's previous low for total points was 87 in a five-point loss to Detroit in its season opener. The Jazz's previous low for first-half points was 40. ... C Rudy Gobert missed his seventh straight game with a sprained left knee. Utah is 2-5 in those games. ... F Trey Lyles had two points and two rebounds in his eighth start of the season. He entered the game averaging 2.4 points and 2.9 rebounds.
Spurs: The Spurs set a franchise record for largest victory in their 119-68 win over Philadelphia on Dec. 7. The 51-point victory bested the 49-point margin against the Vancouver Grizzlies on Nov. 8, 1995. ... San Antonio's best start after 26 games came in 2011, when they opened 23-3 and rose to 25-3. ... All the Spurs scored and played at least 10 minutes.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host New Orleans on Wednesday night.
Spurs: Host Washington on Wednesday night.