Spurs take control as Jazz lose theirs

Jerry Sloan's final gestures in a losing effort Monday night were a pointed finger, an angry outburst and a swift march to the Utah Jazz locker room. He disappeared from the court 2 minutes 34 seconds before the final buzzer. The Jazz may soon be gone as well.

The San Antonio Spurs drove the Jazz into fits of frustration, and then to the edge of playoff elimination, with a 91-79 victory at EnergySolutions Arena. The Spurs took a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals, and the best-of-seven series returns to San Antonio, where the Jazz have lost 18 games in a row, on Wednesday for Game 5.

Manu Ginobili, the Spurs' feisty swingman, took over the fourth quarter with his scoring, his chaotic style and his unique acting abilities. He scored 16 of his 22 points in the final quarter and also contributed mightily to the ejections of Sloan and Derek Fisher.

Fisher and Sloan earned two technical fouls in the final quarter. Each was ejected by the referee Steve Javie down the stretch. Fisher was frustrated after tangling multiple times with Ginobili, who on at least one occasion thrust himself into Fisher as they ran upcourt, then fell down.

"I really don't know why he got upset, because I can't recall doing anything for that to happen," Ginobili said of Fisher's ejection. "If that helps the team win, and gets a couple of easy free throws, I'm ready to do it."

Angry Jazz fans threw objects at the court at the final buzzer, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hurried his players off the floor rather than allow them to do the usual live television interview.

"I don't talk about those because all that does is get me in more trouble," Sloan said of the technicals. He declined to discus Ginobili's tactics for the same reason.

San Antonio overcame a poor shooting night by Tony Parker, who missed 13 of 19 shots but scored 17 points.

Deron Williams' coronation as a postseason star continued with a 27-point, 10-assist effort for the Jazz. Tim Duncan, who had one of the worst games of his playoff career in Game 3, bounced back with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Duncan was coming off an uncharacteristic 5-foul, 8-turnover game. His slumps rarely last more than a quarter or two, so the Spurs figured to get a more vintage effort Monday. Utah's aggressive defense again caused Duncan to cough up the ball — he had five turnovers — but he countered with his own stiff defense, including five blocks in the first three quarters.