Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) - There will be no embarrassing first-
round exit for the Western Conference's top-seeded team this year. A year
after a spectacular collapse to the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round
of the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs completed a first-round sweep of the
Utah Jazz with an 87-81 victory at EnergySolutions Arena Monday. Manu
Ginobili led the way with 17 points off the bench while Tony Parker and Tim
Duncan contributed 11 apiece for the Spurs in an effort that was not
efficient, but nonetheless was effective. Neither team shot over 38 percent
from the field, but San Antonio connected on 10-of-22 three-point tries,
while Utah missed all 13 of its attempts from beyond the arc. The
victorious Spurs may have a shot at avenging their 2011 defeat, as they
advance to face the winner of the Memphis/Los Angeles Clippers series. LA
holds a 2-1 series lead entering Monday's Game 4. Utah's Al Jefferson paced
all scorers with 26 points and 10 boards, Derrick Favors -- who replaced
Josh Howard in the starting lineup for Game 4 -- finished with 16 and
10, and Paul Millsap donated 10 and 19 in the Jazz's final game of the
season.
The Sports Network