‘STREAK BUSTERS’: Utah ends Spurs’ eight-game NBA win streak

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Just when the San Antonio Spurs looked to wrap up the year with a winning streak, the Utah Jazz seemed to have other plans and handed the rolling squad a huge spoiler.

On Dec. 28, 2025, Utah snapped San Antonio’s eight-game winning streak, 127-114, while pulling it off on the road at the Frost Bank Center in the ongoing NBA regular season.

The Spurs were poised for another strong start after immediately dropping 40 points in the first 12 minutes of action to carry an early eight-point advantage, 40-32.

However, the Jazz dropped the hammer in the momentum-changing second frame, where they outscored the Spurs by 18 points to officially turn the tables entering the second half.

Spearheading Utah’s massive second-quarter rally was Lauri Markkanen, who found his stroke from downtown and quickly erased San Antonio’s eight-point lead.

When Markkanen headed to the bench to take a breather, Keyonte George answered the call, picking up where his teammate left off and fearlessly driving down the lane, which put the San Antonio frontcourt in early foul trouble.

That was all the Jazz needed. The confidence-boosting second-quarter run paved the way for a flawless two-way outing in the final two quarters of the game.

However, the Spurs didn’t back down and found some daylight in the third period when Victor Wembanyama took matters into his own hands, but the duo of Markkanen and George restored order for Utah as they ballooned their cushion back to 12 points after San Antonio trimmed it to six.

A mano-a-mano battle took place in the fourth canto when Markkanen and Wembanyama engaged in a shootout, but the Spurs missed the presence of De’Aaron Fox, the team’s primary closer, who had to rest due to a left adductor tightness injury.

Aside from their outstanding three-point shooting, the Jazz also out-assisted San Antonio, 34-30, and outscored them on fast-break points, 15-9.

Markkanen led the Jazz with an all-around performance of 29 points, five rebounds, three steals, a block, and a steal, while George added 28 markers, six dimes, five boards, and two interceptions.

On the other hand, Wembanyama produced his best scoring outing since Nov. 11, but his 32-point effort couldn’t match the waxing-hot Jazz, who capped the win with 17 3-pointers.