Ball-secure Spurs host a Jazz defense that forces few turnovers

The Utah Jazz (1-5) visit the San Antonio Spurs (4-2) on Monday night in a game that turns on turnovers, which Utah's defense rarely forces and the Spurs rarely commit.

The Spurs, winners of four straight, turn it over on 11.3% of possessions, third in the NBA. The Jazz, who have lost four in a row, force turnovers on 11.4%, 28th of 30 teams.

San Antonio should get a shot up on nearly every trip. The Jazz score 104.9 points per 100 possessions, 26th in the league, and the Spurs' defense allows 106.5, seventh.

Utah's free-throw rate ranks 10th, but the Spurs foul less than all but one team.

The Jazz are fourth in the league on the defensive glass. San Antonio ranks 19th on the offensive boards, so second chances should be scarce for the Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama leads San Antonio with 28 points and 10.7 rebounds a game, and his 4.2 blocks make the rim a hard place to finish. De'Aaron Fox runs the offense with seven assists a game.

Keyonte George carries the Jazz with 21.7 points and 6.3 assists, though he also commits four turnovers a game against a defense that rarely forces them. Jaxson Hayes blocks 2.2 shots a game.

Utah plays without two frontcourt regulars. Jaren Jackson Jr., who plays 26.1 minutes a game, is out with an expected return on Monday, December 14. Jusuf Nurkic is out and expected back Wednesday, November 4.

Kobe Bufkin is also out, one of five Jazz players on the list. San Antonio is missing Tobias Harris, out and expected back Friday, November 6, and Jayden Quaintance, out until an expected return on Thursday, December 3.

The Spurs won the first meeting 117-111 in Utah last Wednesday. The Jazz's lone win came 120-119 over New Orleans, and their latest loss was 112-90 against Portland.

Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, November 2, in San Antonio. Sportsbooks' prices give the Spurs an 88% chance to win; Keel's projection, built on the players available, puts it at 92%, with a 17.2-point margin.