The Utah Jazz left the Delta Center with a 117-111 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, and the record now reads 1-4 to open the 2026-27 season.
That said, this one doesn’t sit in the same bucket as a lot of ugly early-season losses. Utah was missing Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., and still managed to drag the reigning champion Spurs into overtime. The Jazz had chances to make the final five minutes look different, but a few key sequences in the extra period swung the game San Antonio’s way.
Even in defeat, there were real takeaways to pull from the night, starting with Keyonte George. It wasn’t a clean outing - he had five turnovers and some shaky decision-making - but the Jazz needed someone to carry the offense with two of their top scorers out, and George did exactly that for long stretches. He finished with 31 points, hit five threes, added four rebounds and three assists, and logged 37 minutes.
His shot-making from all three levels was a major reason Utah stayed alive. If he can tighten up the turnovers and finish games with a steadier hand, there’s more room for him to grow into that lead role.
Brice Sensabaugh was another bright spot. Utah needed offense from somewhere, especially with the injuries and Darryn Peterson struggling to find it, and Sensabaugh gave them a punch off the bench.
He scored 16 points, knocked down four of his five three-point attempts, and helped push the Jazz into overtime in the first place. He has shown flashier scoring nights before, but this was the kind of self-created, shot-making performance that stands out when the roster is thin.
It also only adds to the conversation around his future. Sensabaugh’s play is raising his value, and if he keeps this up, his next contract figures to look a lot different than it would have just a few months ago.
The other end of the bench brought a less encouraging storyline for Svi Mykhailiuk. He has had a rough start to the year, and Wednesday didn’t do much to change that.
Mykhailiuk scored three points in 14 minutes, going 1-for-6 from the field and 1-for-5 from deep. Last season, he was a useful rotation piece because of his off-ball movement and three-point shooting, but those minutes are starting to look less secure now if the production doesn’t turn quickly.
Utah’s late collapse in overtime came down to the usual rough edges that show up when a young team gets dragged into a pressure finish. Turnovers, transition defense, missed shots and even some questionable rotation choices from Will Hardy all showed up in the final minutes. San Antonio scored the first 12 points of overtime after Utah’s opening basket, and that was that.
The Jazz gave themselves a chance against a championship team. They just couldn’t keep it together when the game tightened.
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Mo Bamba May Have Forced His Way Into Utahs Rotation
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The timing matters because the Jazz are still sorting through a frontcourt picture that is far from settled. With Jaren Jackson Jr. out for an extended stretch and Lauri Markkanen, Jaxson Hayes and Jusuf Nurkic all dealing with various injury concerns, Bambas performance could not have come at a better time. If Utah needs size and rim protection in the near term, he may have done enough to force his way into a larger role. [Read more 🡒]