There was a significant comeback in the NBA on Thursday as the San Antonio Spurs came back from a 20 point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz 126-118. Utah’s lead was 66-46 with one minute and nine second left in the first half. That is when the Spurs went on a 80-52 run to close out the game and win by eight points.
The Spurs were led by forward Harrison Barnes of Ames, Iowa and point guard Chris Paul of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Barnes and Paul both had double doubles. Paul had 13 points and 10 assists, while Barnes had 25 points and 10 rebounds. This is the first seasons Barnes and Paul are in San Antonio. Barnes was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Spurs in the three-way deal on July 8 that saw DeMar DeRozan go from Chicago to Sacramento. Paul signed a one-year deal worth $11 million with the Spurs at the beginning of July.
Six more Spurs players reached double digits in scoring. Point guard Stephon Castle of Covington, Georgia and center Zach Collins of Las Vegas, Nevada had 18 points each, small forward Julian Champagnie of Staten Island, New York had 14 points, small forward Keldon Johnson of Chesterfield, Virginia had 12 points, while center Charles Bassey of Lagos, Nigeria and point guard Tre Jones of Apple Valley, Minnesota had 11 points each.
With the win, the Spurs are at the .500 mark. They are at eight wins and eight losses.
One notable name not part of the Spurs comeback on Friday was star Victor Wembanyama of Le Chesnay, France. That is because the former first overall pick was out with a knee contusion. The positive news for Spurs fans is that it does not seem to be a serious injury.
There is one serious knee injury in Golden State, as guard De’Anthony Melton is gone for then season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Melton has not played since November 12 when the Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-117. In six games in his first season with Golden State, Melton averaged 10.3 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, 1.2 steals per game, with a field goal percentage of .407, three point percentage of .371, and a free throw percentage of .625.
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