Seven Spurs scored in double figures and San Antonio beat Utah for the fifth straight win

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 119-97 on Monday night for their fifth straight victory, and they did it with a balance that has become the team's signature.

Seven Spurs finished in double figures. Dylan Harper led San Antonio with 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Victor Wembanyama added 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, and De'Aaron Fox also scored 12.

Keldon Johnson led the second unit with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Stephon Castle scored 16 points with five rebounds and four assists.

The game was decided early. San Antonio held Utah to 16 points in the first quarter, its best defensive quarter of the season.

Utah shot poorly and the Spurs were aggressive, slicing into the paint and moving the ball to the open man.

That is the formula that has produced the winning streak: a defense that keeps the first quarter quiet and an offense that does not need one player to carry it.

The Jazz are 1-6, and this was the second time in a week that San Antonio beat them.

Utah made it a game in the second quarter, cutting the Spurs' lead to 36-35.

Mitch Johnson called a timeout and was visibly frustrated on the sideline. San Antonio responded with a 14-5 run to take a 50-40 lead.

The third quarter followed the same pattern. Utah cut into the lead again, Johnson called another timeout over transition defense, and the Spurs closed the period on a 23-11 run.

The quarter scores tell it: 27-16 after one, 32-33 in the second, 35-20 in the third, 25-28 in the fourth.

Castle's night was a rebound from his previous game, when a migraine limited him against Minnesota.

He described the second-half surge simply: the Spurs did not get bored with what was working.

That is the thing about a team this balanced. When the lead shrinks, the answer is not a different play but the same play executed better.

Harper's all-around line is the other part of it. Seventeen points and eight assists from a second-year guard is a different kind of production than a scoring burst.

Utah's problem is the same one it has had all season. When Lauri Markkanen does not have a big night, there is no second option that can carry a half-court possession.

The Jazz shot 16 points in the first quarter and never got the game back to even.

San Antonio's defense forced Utah into contested shots and kept the rebounding margin close enough that the Jazz could not generate second chances.

Utah's next game is against a team with a similar record, which is the closest thing to relief on the schedule.

The Spurs are 5-2, and the shape of the wins is becoming the story. They are not blowing teams out with star performances; they are winning with depth.

That works in November. It also creates a question for later in the season, when rotations shorten and matchups get more specific.

For now, five straight wins and seven double-figure scorers is a good place to be.

The next test is a better defensive team, which will make the balanced approach harder to sustain.

San Antonio's balanced approach creates a specific problem for opponents. A defense cannot take away one player, because the Spurs have five players who can score 15 on any given night.

That is also the limit of the approach. In a playoff series, defenses get to take away the second and third options and force someone to beat them.

November is not a playoff series. The Spurs should enjoy the depth while it works.

Utah's issues are the mirror image. The Jazz have one option, and when it does not work, the offense has no fallback.

The Jazz's next game is against a team with a similar record, which is the closest thing to relief on the schedule.

The Spurs' next test is a better defensive team.

San Antonio's next game is on the road, where the balanced offense will face louder crowds and better defenses.

Utah's schedule offers no easy games this week, which makes the turnover problem more urgent.

The Spurs' bench has been the difference in three of the five wins.

Wembanyama's 12 points were his lowest total of the season, and the Spurs won by double digits.

The Spurs have won the first quarter by double digits in three of their five straight wins.

San Antonio's next game is against a team with a top-five defense, which will slow the pace.

Utah has lost six of seven and has not led after the first quarter in any of them.

The Spurs' defense has allowed under a hundred points in three of the five wins.

Utah's offense has scored under a hundred in four of its six losses.

The Spurs' five wins have come against teams with a combined record well under five hundred, which is worth remembering.

Utah hosts its next game on Wednesday.