This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It looks like the only break the Jazz are going to get is a summer break.
All-Star point guard Tony Parker is "active and available" to return to the Spurs lineup on Friday against the Jazz after missing eight games due to a sprained left ankle. The Spurs were 6-2 without Parker, who averaged 23 points and 8.5 assists in two games against the Jazz.
"This is a machine," Tyrone Corbin said. "They've been together so long. They're better when all of their guys are in there, but when they miss a guy for a game or two they seem to just roll right along because they plug another guy in."
Parker averages 21 points and 7.6 assists overall.
"He looked pretty good," Kawhi Leonard told the San Antonio Express-News after the team's morning shoot around. "He said he doesn't feel any pain in his ankle. I'm happy and excited for him to play tonight."
The Jazz have not won on the road since before the All-Star Break. They are 0-7 since a Feb. 13 win at Minnesota, a stretch that included Wednesday's 100-93 loss at Houston. The Jazz have not won in San Antonio since 2010, a six-game losing streak counting last year's playoff sweep.
— Bill Oram