Duncan and Parker down Jazz

LOS ANGELES // The San Antonio Spurs used a fourth-quarter surge to overcome a faltering Utah Jazz 106-100 on Tuesday night, with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker leading the way with 24 points apiece for the visitors. The Spurs went on a 10-0 run early in the final frame and never looked back as they won for the first time in five visits to the EnergySolutions Arena. Ronnie Brewer had 23 points and Mehmet Okur added 22 for the Jazz, who have dropped four straight games for the first time since Dec 2007.

Utah (25-21) advanced to the Western Conference semi-finals last year but are struggling through injuries and inconsistency this campaign, putting them in danger of missing the play-offs. The forward Andrei Kirilenko missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury and the Jazz have been without the power forward Carlos Boozer (knee) since Nov 21. Despite the loss, Utah looked a far better side than the one that was battered 117-97 by the Denver Nuggets on Sunday and even held an 82-80 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Spurs surged clear.

By contrast, San Antonio has won five of six and improved to 30-14, good enough for second place in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Lakers. Matt Bonner contributed 20 points and was 6-for-7 from the three-point line, where the Spurs were 11-for-20 overall. Utah's Deron Williams, who battled an ankle ailment of his own earlier this season, had 19 points and 13 assists. *Reuters