SAN ANTONIO -- Kawhi Leonard doesn't always save his best for the second half, but he has in the last two games.

Leonard scored 19 of his 25 points in the third quarter as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 109-103 Sunday afternoon.

"I was just being patient," Leonard said. "Waiting for my opportunity."

Two days earlier, Leonard scored 20 of his 28 in the second half, including 13 in the third quarter, of a 100-95 win at Oklahoma City.

Leonard hit all three of his 3-point shots against Utah after missing 19 of 21 -- including 17 straight -- in the previous three games.

Tony Parker scored 21 points for San Antonio (59-17). Reserves Jonathon Simmons and Pau Gasol added 17 and 13. Gasol also grabbed 12 rebounds.

Parker hit 7 of 15 from the field after going 5 for 18 in his previous three games. Parker missed five games in March with quad and back injuries.

"Tony's getting his mojo back, I think," coach Gregg Popovich said. "It looks like he's getting his speed back, so that was good to see."

With the loss, Utah (47-30) leads the Los Angeles Clippers by a half-game for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Spurs remained 3 1/2 games behind first-place Golden State.

Boris Diaw and Rudy Gobert led Utah with 19 points each. Diaw converted all nine of his shots from the field. Gobert supplied 14 rebounds, six blocks and five assists. Gordon Hayward added 16 points for the Jazz.

Utah trailed by just four after a jump shot from Joe Johnson with 2:24 remaining, but San Antonio created some separation with a basket inside by Simmons, assisted by Gasol, and two free throws by Kyle Anderson (10 rebounds).

The Jazz cut the deficit to four twice more in the final minute, but Parker made two free throws with 25 seconds left, the final points of the game.

"I thought we hung in there on the road against one of the best teams," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "We made it a two possession game at the end."

Spurs starters LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green missed the game with a sprained left thumb and left quad contusion, respectively.

Popovich elected to rest reserves Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills and David Lee with the playoffs looming and the Spurs unlikely to catch Golden State for the top seed in the Western Conference. Ginobili's absence was announced on Saturday. The Spurs did not release anything about Lee and Mills before the game.

"Somebody told me David got whacked in the last game a little bit, and if we needed him, he'd play," Popovich said. "I decided I'd rather have him healthy for the playoffs. I thought it was good experience for (rookie guard) Bryn (Forbes) rather than overplaying Patty."

Leonard said the Spurs are mostly concerned with preparing for the postseason.

"We are just trying to build right now," Leonard said. "You've got to keep getting better and better these last six games."

Utah starting point guard George Hill and his primary backup, Raul Neto, missed their third consecutive games, both with strained groins. Starting forward Derrick Favors also missed the game, his 13th straight, with a left knee contusion.

Gobert said the Spurs were tough to catch after they outscored the Jazz by eight in the third quarter for a 10-point lead at the end of the period.

"I think we fought all game," Gobert said. "They made the turn in the third quarter, and it was tough to recover from that."

NOTES: San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said Utah coach Quin Snyder deserves consideration for NBA Coach of the Year honors. Popovich also mentioned Miami's Erik Spoelstra, Houston's Mike D'Antoni, Philadelphia's Brett Brown and Memphis' David Fizdale. Brown is a former assistant to Popovich, and Snyder coached the Spurs' D-League team in Austin from 2007-10. He previously worked as a college and NBA assistant and head coach at Missouri. "Even as a player in college (Duke), he was more cerebral than super talented," Popovich said. "When he started coaching in college, you could see that he was creative, he was clever. He's passionate and he's got a wealth of ideas." ... Former Spurs F Boris Diaw joined the Jazz this season, bringing with him vast experience and the espresso maker he keeps in his locker. "He's got, like, six guys drinking espresso now," Snyder said. "One of the biggest things is his unselfishness, his passing. Players learn things from each other."