SALT LAKE CITY — Victor Wembanyama had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 106-88 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

Wembanyama also had seven assists, five steals and five blocks, making it at least five in five categories for the second time in his career. Chris Paul added 19 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for the Spurs.

Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 16 points, and John Collins added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Utah played without starting forward Lauri Markkanen, who was sidelined with back spasms.

Patty Mills hit three straight 3-pointers to spark a 13-0 run that gave Utah a 30-19 lead early in the second quarter. The Jazz didn’t fall behind again before halftime.

San Antonio erased a double-digit deficit twice and took the lead for good with a 12-0 run midway through the third period. Julian Champagine and Keldon Johnson combined for three baskets with no steals on four possessions to cap the run and give the Spurs a 63-55 lead.

The Spurs led by 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Takeaways

Spurs: Wembanyama and Paul made the difference with their ability to play all over the pitch and opened up a close game.

Jazz: Generating consistent offense in Markkanen’s absence has been a chore for Utah at times. The Jazz had too many empty possessions at critical moments.

Key moment

After the Jazz cut the deficit to 73-67 on a Brice Sensabaugh layup, Utah scored just two baskets in the next six minutes. San Antonio finally pulled away behind a 19-6 run capped by three baskets from Paul.

Key statistics

Keyonte George posted a career-best performance with seven turnovers. The Jazz finished the game with a total of 26 turnovers, which led to 35 points for San Antonio.

Next

The Spurs host Minnesota on Saturday while the Jazz visit Denver.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba