From a talent perspective, the San Antonio Spurs are one of the best in the NBA with the trio of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

In the Spurs' 112-105 win over the Utah Jazz, however, they were able to slice and dice the Jazz because they were smart.

The Spurs knew the Jazz were coming off a disastrous road trip. They also knew that Wednesday's matchup at EnergySolutions Arena represented a back-to-back for Utah.

"We figured they would be tired," Parker said. "So we wanted to be aggressive and take advantage of that."

The key? Putting the Jazz in pick-and-rolls, almost exclusively. The result? Endless dribble penetration that led to floaters in the lane, layups at the rim, wide-open looks for 3-pointers and the sixth consecutive loss for a reeling Utah team.

Parker and Ginobili simply dominated the Jazz off the dribble, to the point that Duncan was hardly used in post-up situations.

The two generated offense for a Spurs team that scored at least 29 points in three of the four quarters.

The two combined for 49 points. And while Utah did get better in the fourth quarter, by then it was too late. The Spurs held a double-digit advantage for most of the second half. They weren't about to give that up, despite Deron Williams going off for 39 points and nine assists.

"They did what they wanted in the first half," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "We couldn't stop them. We did play better in the second half, but we have to play hard like that all the time."

Sloan and C.J. Miles both pointed to Utah's inability to effectively guard the pick-and-roll as reasons for yet another disappointing loss. Specifically, the guards failed to stay in front of Parker, Ginobili and George Hill, while the big men never provided adequate help in the lane.

"They execute their stuff," Miles said. "That's why they have seven losses on the season. It's just more us talking and knowing where everybody needs to be. Everyone has to help. It's the biggest thing we have to work on."

tjones@sltrib.com —

Sharp Spurs

• Utah surrenders 10 points to Tony Parker in the first quarter.

• The Jazz allow the Spurs to shoot 51 percent from the field.

• San Antonio outrebounds Utah 33-31.