Leonard's game-winning jumper lifts Spurs past Jazz

On a night in which both teams struggled to put the ball in the hoop, the San Antonio Spurs avoided a colossal collapse and squeaked past the Utah Jazz by virtue of employing Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard, who showed off his slick handle and scored a team-high 18 points, took an inbounds feed in the short corner with the game tied, under seven seconds left in regulation, and three seconds left on the shot clock. Despite basically wearing Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward like a cloak, Leonard managed to get a quick shot up. And drain it.

The Jazz, who trailed by 16 points early in the fourth quarter, couldn't quite complete the comeback. Rodney Hood, who was brilliant all night and scored a game-high 23, actually put Utah ahead by a point with a short jumper in the final minute, before Tony Parker answered with a three.

Like Leonard, Hood was rewarded for his performance by getting the ball in his hands for his team's last possession. Unlike Leonard, he couldn't make it count, missing a potential game-winning triple at the buzzer - with Leonard contesting.

Though perhaps expected, the loss was not inconsequential for the Jazz. It dropped them to 39-39, leaving them just a half-game up on the Houston Rockets for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

For the Spurs, it was largely meaningless, aside from adding to their franchise-record win total and securing career victory No. 1,000 for Tim Duncan.