SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 106-88 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Wembanyama also had seven assists, five steals, and five blocks, getting at least five in five categories for the second time in his career. Chris Paul added 19 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds for the Spurs. Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 16 points, and John Collins added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Utah played without starting forward Lauri Markkanen who was out with back spasms. Patty Mills made three straight 3-pointers to power a 13-0 run that gave Utah a 30-19 lead going into the second quarter. The Jazz did not trail again before halftime. San Antonio erased a double-digit deficit twice and went ahead for good midway through the third behind a 12-0 run. Julian Champagine and Keldon Johnson combined for three baskets off steals over four possessions to cap the run and give the Spurs a 63-55 lead. The Spurs led by 20 points in the fourth quarter. Takeaways Spurs: Wembanyama and Paul made all the difference in blowing open a close game with their ability

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Domantas Sabonis had 28 points and 11 rebounds, De’Aaron Fox added 19 points and the Sacramento Kings dominated the reeling Utah Jazz 113-96 on Tuesday night. Jordan Clarkson scored 21 points and John Collins tallied 18 for the Jazz, who opened the season with four straight defeats and lost starting forwards Taylor Hendricks (broken leg) and Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) on back-to-back nights. The Jazz have lost their last two home games by a combined 58 points. Rookie Kyle Filipowski got his first extended playing time and scored 12 points. DeMar DeRozan had 20 points and eight assists for the Kings, who have won two straight after starting 0-2. Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray each scored 14 for the Kings, who led by as many 27 points. Takeaways Kings: The Kings shot just 25.8% from 3-point range but hit 65.6% inside the arc. They are moving the ball and seeing open shots, especially in the midrange. Jazz: Without defensive stopper Hendricks, who was lost for the season with a gruesome broken leg and dislocated ankle on Monday, Utah struggled with Sacramento’s dribble penetration and crisp passing while often having three or four rookies and second-year

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Jazz have been emphasizing that this season will be centered on developing their young building blocks like forward Taylor Hendricks, but now he’s likely gone for the season. On Monday night, Hendricks ran down the court toward the baseline, stumbled and awkwardly fell on top of his leg. Without anyone in his vicinity, he broke his right fibula, dislocated his ankle and yelped in disbelief as he saw his foot going one direction and his leg the other. Several Jazz players had tears in their eyes and covered their heads with towels during an extended break where the medical staff took Hendricks off on a stretcher. They lost to the Mavericks 110-102 and now face a rebuilding season without a defensive centerpiece. “A bunch of us were visibly rattled. It was really hard to see,” Utah coach Will Hardy said Tuesday. “Everybody processes those things differently. Everybody needs to pick each other up at different moments.” After the Jazz chose him at No. 9 in the 2023 draft, Hendricks spent about half his rookie campaign in the G League before breaking into the rotation later in the season. In the first three games

DALLAS (AP) — Utah forward Taylor Hendricks was wheeled off the floor on a stretcher with a right-leg injury after he landed awkwardly midway through the third quarter of the Jazz’s 110-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. The team said Hendricks fractured his right fibula and dislocated his ankle. “He’s a great kid, and so we’re really just trying to focus on him — his health, keeping his spirits up, as he begins the road of his recovery,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “But these are the moments in sports that suck.” Hendricks went down to the floor without any contact near the baseline beneath the Jazz’s basket, his foot landing in an awkward direction. Hendricks, in his second season, had two points, three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes making his third consecutive start after starting 23 games of his 40 appearances as a rookie. “Super unfortunate,” said Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, who struggled to find words. “We’re all here for him. It sucks that we lost, but he’s more important than that. We know how hard he worked the whole summer to be ready for this opportunity, so it sure feels tough for him.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Buddy Hield scored 27 points, Steph Curry added 20 and the Golden State Warriors overpowered the Utah Jazz 127-86 on Friday night. Hield had 24 points in the first half, hitting 6 of 7 3-pointers, to help the Warriors improve to 2-0. The Jazz dropped to 0-2. From the early first quarter to the early third, the Warriors outscored the Jazz 68-32. Trayce Jackson-Davis’ inside shot made it 74-47 with 8:15 left in the third. John Collins led Utah with 14 points. The Jazz opened with a 15-6 lead, but the Warriors took a double-digit lead early in the second quarter. Utah shot 31.5%. The Jazz are 0-26 in games shooting below 33%. Takeaways Warriors: Golden State had its second straight blowout win over a team that may be battling for lottery position after beating Portland 140-104 in the opener. The Warriors employed a trapping defense to force the Jazz into turnovers and crisp passing to get Hield and Curry open jumpers. Curry and most of the starters sat out the fourth quarter. Jazz: After a competitive loss to Memphis, the Jazz couldn’t shoot or handle the pressure from the Warriors. Simple rotations were bungled

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Ja Morant had 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in his return to action to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 126-124 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. Morant appeared in just nine games last season after serving a 25-game league suspension before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. Santi Aldama scored 27 points and Desmond Bane added 24 more for the Grizzlies. Lauri Markkanen had 35 points and nine rebounds for Utah. Jordan Clarkson chipped in for 17 points and seven assists off the bench. Walker Kessler had 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Jazz erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and tied it at 116 on Kessler’s tip-in with 2:48 left. Aldama scored back-to-back baskets to put the Grizzlies in front for good. Takeaways Grizzlies: Memphis cooked the Jazz from the perimeter for the bulk of four quarters. Aldama, Bane, and Jay Huff combined for 12 of the Grizzlies’ 17 3-poiners. Jazz: Sloppiness on offense undermined Utah’s efforts to rally until the fourth quarter. The Jazz committed 16 turnovers, leading to 22 points for Memphis, in the first three quarters. Key moment After trailing by as many as 17

After striking out at drawing big-name free agents to Salt Lake City during the offseason, the Jazz have pivoted to developing rookies and second-year players already on the roster. Source link

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Hockey Club wasted no effort creating a playoff-like atmosphere for its inaugural regular season game on Tuesday night. The NHL’s newest franchise surrounded its home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks with a fan celebration leading up to the puck drop and beyond. An outdoor concert featuring country music artist Shaboozey highlighted the pregame celebration. The festivities culminated in an outdoor watch party for fans who did not have tickets to enter the Delta Center. Two giant screens aired the ESPN broadcast. Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen skated out the ceremonial puck and handed it to Utah Hockey Club and Jazz owner Ryan Smith. Ashley Smith dropped the puck for Utah Captain Clayton Keller and Chicago Captain Nick Foligno before the game. “We’re just trying to have a fun event that everybody in the community is going to remember,” Ryan Smith said. “It’s not more complicated than that. This is a moment that speaks for itself. Everyone knows it’s coming. We get to do it once.” The atmosphere inside and outside the arena was electric through the night, mirroring the experience already common at Utah Jazz playoff games. “It’s unbelievable,” said Sean Cassity, a new

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Hockey Club management insists it’s an expansion team and, as far as the NHL is concerned and the way records will be kept, that’s true. But in a more practical sense, Utah is a relocated franchise. It’s mostly the same team that took the ice last season as the Arizona Coyotes with the same head coach and the same general manager. Utah opens its first season in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. If previous relocated franchises are a guide, Utah also fits the definition because it could be on the verge of becoming an annual playoff contender given its core of young players. History has been kind to other teams that have changed cities, with many clubs winning right away and even capturing championships not long after arriving in their new homes. “I think it’s just been when (teams have) moved, they’ve generally been bought by bigger, richer organizations that can support them better than where they were,” said award-winning hockey historian Eric Zweig, who has authored several books on the NHL. “Arizona wasn’t always terrible when they first got there. But they never really had stable ownership. “There