Manu Ginobili came off the bench to star for the Spurs in the final quarter, racking up 16 points in an overall tally of 22 to give his team a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference finals.

Tim Duncan was also a solid contributor with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, while Tony Parker scored 17 points but made only 6-of-19.

San Antonio had the better of the first half to race to a eight-point lead at the break, but Utah roared back into the contest in the third term, holding the Spurs to just 13 points and hitting 20 of its own to claw within one point at the final change.

Jazz point guard Deron Williams, who was in doubt to start after suffering a stomach bug for the past few days, was the catalyst for his team to get back into the match, notching up 27 points and 10 assists.

With the match going down to the wire, tempers began to fray as the Jazz got into major foul trouble down the stretch, with San Antonio eventually pulling away to win the last term 28-17.

Ginobili and Duncan bore the brunt of the Jazz's physical game, with the former hitting 12-of-15 free throws.

To make matters worse for Utah, the team received four technical fouls and the loss of coach Jerry Sloan and Derek Fisher, who were both ejected in the final quarter.

Game five will be held in San Antonio on Thursday (AEST). The Jazz have lost 18 straight matches in San Antonio dating back to 1999.