San Antonio • The Jazz’s locker-room door opened Saturday night and C.J. Miles sat hunched down in a chair, studying a box score, while Paul Millsap eyed rows of statistics over his teammates’ shoulder.

Utah had fallen 104-89 to the San Antonio Spurs. The Jazz shot just 37.1 percent from the floor, 12.5 percent behind the 3-point line, distributed only 11 assists and scored 21 points or less in the first three quarters.

With 9 minutes, 52 seconds left in the fourth, Utah (1-3) was down by 27 points and the team’s third blowout in four games to start the 2011-12 campaign was already in the books.

But what wasn’t in the box score were words such as effort, energy and communication. They were the same problems that plagued the Jazz during back-to-back road embarrassments to open the season. And they were the exact issues Utah coach Tyrone Corbin hammered home after watching San Antonio (3-1) run the Jazz out of the AT&T Center via a 20-8 second-quarter run that featured 11 consecutive points from Manu Ginobili, who scored a game-high 23 and drilled 5 of 6 3s.

Al Jefferson led Utah with a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, while reserve Josh Howard added 18 points and seven boards.

Corbin knows this will be an at times rough, at times joyous season for the Jazz. Utah’s young and rebuilding, but still trying to win games with veterans such as Devin Harris, Millsap and Jefferson. As a result, unpredictability will rein.

But the one thing Corbin’s squad can control is its nightly effort. And after seeing the Jazz lose three games by an average of 19 points – all featuring big-time, game-changing runs by the victors – consistent effort could be the one trait that keeps Utah moving forward even if defeats pile up.

“We need to keep searching for who we are. We just need to make sure we understand that we need to keep working to get better,” said Corbin, who kept the locker room closed longer than normal for the second game in the three contests.

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He added: “We just need to make sure the guys understand that it’s a long season. We need to stay together and work.”

Sticking together was again a familiar postgame refrain. Reserve forward Derrick Favors said it’s the Jazz’s primary problem when on-the-court play falls apart, while veteran backup point guard Earl Watson said Utah’s shown a tendency to cave when it falls behind on the road.

The Jazz have trailed by double-digits in all four games this season, and Utah had to come back from 13 points down Friday to knock off Philadelphia at home.

“We’re a different team on the road. It’s obvious, for whatever reason,” Watson said. “But you can’t sit there and look for the reason why. You have to look for the reason how to win on the road. First, we’ve got to start getting close.”

The Spurs made that goal almost impossible. San Antonio ran a shooting clinic during the first half, burning Utah on rotations that left the Jazz’s perimeter naked and allowed the Spurs to drain 80 percent (8 of 10) of their 3s.

After Utah was lifted by its youth movement Friday, Saturday was a replay of blowouts to the: poor defense, a methodical and lethargic offense, and energy that occasionally spurted but never became in vogue.

Now, the Jazz return to Salt Lake City staring at a cushion of 12 of 15 January games at EnergySolutions Arena. But two months of brutal road travel follows, and Corbin’s more concerned with his team’s progress and evolution than random home wins.

“It’s going to be up and down for a while until we get [settled],” he said. “It’s just not the way that you lose games – it means something the way we play in a losing ballgame. For the most part, the 48-minute effort that we’re looking for, we haven’t gotten in the losses.”

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SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 31 (UPI) — Manu Ginobili sank five 3-pointers and DeJuan Blair provided a double-double Saturday in the San Antonio Spurs’ 104-89 win over Utah.

Ginobili finished with 23 points, while Blair added 17 and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who logged their third win in four games to start the season.

Tony Parker contributed 14 points and eight assists.

The Spurs got 12 points and nine rebounds from Tim Duncan in the victory.

The Jazz were led by Al Jefferson’s 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Josh Howard added a spark off the bench with 18 points and seven boards, but it wasn’t enough for Utah.

Reporting from San Antonio — They are the new-look Clippers, a team with savvy veterans, All-Stars and with high hopes for the season.

But these Clippers will tell anyone that will listen that this is a process that will take time before they can become whole.

In the process of that happening, these Clippers got treated like all the other Clippers teams before them, taking a beating from the San Antonio Spurs, 115-90, Wednesday night at the AT&T Center.

The 2011-12 Clippers were put through the same torture chamber the Clippers before them have experienced, extending the losing streak in San Antonio to 17 games. The last victory came here on Jan. 31, 2002.

The Spurs own a 64-8 margin over the Clippers here and have won 19 of the last 20 games overall.

“This is the start of a process for us,” Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said. “We’ve got to find a way to get better every day. I keep on talking about that. It’s not going to be easy.”

One place the Clippers have to start the process is on defense.

They trailed by as much as 27 points.

They allowed the Spurs to make 56.3% of their shots, 52.6% (10 for 19) on three-pointers.

“We haven’t been together for how many days? We’re not making any excuses,” said Chris Paul, one of the new Clippers. “So, yeah, it [defense] can be an issue that can be resolved. That’s what we’ve got to do.”

They seemingly couldn’t stop any of the Spurs.

Manu Ginobili had 24 points on six-for-10 shooting, five for eight on three-pointers.

DeJuan Blair had 20 points on 10-for-15 shooting and Richard had Jefferson 19 points on eight-for-nine shooting, three for four on three-pointers.

Tony Parker had 10 of his 14 points in the decisive third quarter, when the Spurs outscored the Clippers, 38-17.

“We just played terrible, just from start to finish, I thought,” Del Negro said.

Unlike the Clippers, the Spurs have been together for a while, something that Chauncey Billups says benefits San Antonio during the 66-game season.

Tim Duncan (35), Ginobili (34) and Parker (29) have won three NBA championships together.

“I just think in a season like this, where it was a short camp, a team like that is going to prosper,” Billups, also one of the new Clippers, said after scoring 11 points. “They’ve got all their guys back that have played together. But at the same time, we’re down four at the half and to get beat by 25, that’s not pretty.”

The Clippers trailed by 15 in the second quarter, but pulled to within four at halftime.

They went down by 25 in the third and never recovered.

Their defense was the worst of the game at that point. The Clippers saw the Spurs do as they pleased in shooting 76.2% from the field in the third quarter.

“They are not going to beat themselves. You’ve got to beat them,” said Paul, who finished with 10 points and nine assists. “We’ve got to defend.”

Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 28 points and nine rebounds.

It mattered little because the Clippers were so porous on defense.

Six Spurs scored in double figures, and they showed the Clippers how defense is played, limiting them to 39.2% shooting.

“We’re not there yet,” Paul said. “When you get to that point in the season where we just stop teams, that’s when you’re ready.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

twitter.com/BA_Turner

Reporting from San Antonio — They are the new-look Clippers, a team with savvy veterans, All-Stars and with high hopes for the season.

But these Clippers will tell anyone that will listen that this is a process that will take time before they can become whole.

In the process of that happening, these Clippers got treated like all the other Clippers teams before them, taking a beating from the San Antonio Spurs, 115-90, Wednesday night at the AT&T Center.

The 2011-12 Clippers were put through the same torture chamber the Clippers before them have experienced, extending the losing streak in San Antonio to 17 games. The last victory came here on Jan. 31, 2002.

The Spurs own a 64-8 margin over the Clippers here and have won 19 of the last 20 games overall.

“This is the start of a process for us,” Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said. “We’ve got to find a way to get better every day. I keep on talking about that. It’s not going to be easy.”

One place the Clippers have to start the process is on defense.

They trailed by as much as 27 points.

They allowed the Spurs to make 56.3% of their shots, 52.6% (10 for 19) on three-pointers.

“We haven’t been together for how many days? We’re not making any excuses,” said Chris Paul, one of the new Clippers. “So, yeah, it [defense] can be an issue that can be resolved. That’s what we’ve got to do.”

They seemingly couldn’t stop any of the Spurs.

Manu Ginobili had 24 points on six-for-10 shooting, five for eight on three-pointers.

DeJuan Blair had 20 points on 10-for-15 shooting and Richard had Jefferson 19 points on eight-for-nine shooting, three for four on three-pointers.

Tony Parker had 10 of his 14 points in the decisive third quarter, when the Spurs outscored the Clippers, 38-17.

“We just played terrible, just from start to finish, I thought,” Del Negro said.

Unlike the Clippers, the Spurs have been together for a while, something that Chauncey Billups says benefits San Antonio during the 66-game season.

Tim Duncan (35), Ginobili (34) and Parker (29) have won three NBA championships together.

“I just think in a season like this, where it was a short camp, a team like that is going to prosper,” Billups, also one of the new Clippers, said after scoring 11 points. “They’ve got all their guys back that have played together. But at the same time, we’re down four at the half and to get beat by 25, that’s not pretty.”

The Clippers trailed by 15 in the second quarter, but pulled to within four at halftime.

They went down by 25 in the third and never recovered.

Their defense was the worst of the game at that point. The Clippers saw the Spurs do as they pleased in shooting 76.2% from the field in the third quarter.

“They are not going to beat themselves. You’ve got to beat them,” said Paul, who finished with 10 points and nine assists. “We’ve got to defend.”

Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 28 points and nine rebounds.

It mattered little because the Clippers were so porous on defense.

Six Spurs scored in double figures, and they showed the Clippers how defense is played, limiting them to 39.2% shooting.

“We’re not there yet,” Paul said. “When you get to that point in the season where we just stop teams, that’s when you’re ready.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

twitter.com/BA_Turner

Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs

AT&T Center, San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

TV, radio: SportSouth, WMFS 92.9-FM/680-AM

Records: This is the season opener for both teams.

Lineups

Grizzlies: Mike Conley, 6-1, Tony Allen, 6-4, Rudy Gay, 6-8, Zach Randolph, 6-9, Marc Gasol, 7-1.

Spurs: Tony Parker, 6-2, Manu Ginobili, 6-6, Richard Jefferson, 6-7, Tim Duncan, 6-11, Tiago Splitter, 6-11.

THE SKINNY

The Grizzlies will begin their most anticipated season in Memphis on the road against the team they ejected from the playoffs last season. Memphis began its historic playoff run by eliminating top-seeded San Antonio in the first round. This rematch of that series will feature most of the same players, as neither team dramatically changed its roster. Last season, San Antonio finished tied with Chicago for the NBA’s best home record at 36-5. But the Western Conference is changing. Memphis and San Antonio split four regular-season meetings in 2010-11, though the Spurs have won 14 of the last 16 matchups at home including the playoffs.

– Ronald Tillery