SAN ANTONIO (Interstat) — The surging San Antonio Spurs will look to avenge a recent loss and continue their climb up the Western Conference standings when they host the struggling Utah Jazz on Monday night at Frost Bank Center. The Spurs (28-14) enter on a strong run, having won four of their last five games, including a convincing 119-101 victory over Milwaukee last Thursday. Victor Wembanyama, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, continues to be a dominant force. In the win over the Bucks, he posted 22 points and 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes. Over his last 10 games, he is averaging 22.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks with remarkable efficiency. Utah (14-28) arrives in San Antonio mired in a slump, having lost seven of its last eight games. The Jazz are coming off a 138-120 road loss to Dallas on Saturday, part of a difficult stretch where their defense has repeatedly faltered. The lone bright spot has been the explosive play of guard Keyonte George. Despite the losses, George is averaging 22.6 points and 6.6 assists over his last 10 contests. He scored 29 points with six assists in the most recent loss to Dallas. This matchup is a quick rematch of a Dec. 27 meeting in San Antonio, where the Jazz stunned the Spurs 127-114. In that game, George led Utah with 32 points and nine assists, while Wembanyama recorded 32 points, seven rebounds and five blocks for San Antonio in a losing effort. The teams are on opposite trajectories. The Spurs boast one of the league’s best records and a top-10 defense, while the Jazz have the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA over the last two weeks. Utah’s path to an upset likely requires another high-scoring performance from George and a significant improvement on the defensive end to contain Wembanyama and a balanced Spurs attack that features contributors like Stephon Castle and Julian Champagnie. Monday’s contest begins a critical home back-to-back for the Spurs, who travel to Houston on Tuesday. The Jazz continue a tough road trip, heading home to face Minnesota on Tuesday before hosting these same Spurs again on Thursday.