Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) pulls down a rebound as Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, right, defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets will raise their championship banner on opening night — with LeBron James in the building to witness, no less. The players will also receive their rings. After that, no more mention of last season’s run that produced the franchise’s first NBA title. No more “remember-when” moments, either. They have bigger things on their mind. Big picture: Milwaukee, Boston, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix and Golden State, who are among the favorites to challenge for their crown. Closer to home: A Northwest Division that features three teams going through some version of a roster revisions (Oklahoma City, Utah and Portland) and another trying to take that next step forward (that’s you, Minnesota). It’s a division that boasts an All-NBA first-team pick (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), rising stars (Lauri Markkanen, Anthony Edwards) and new kids ready to bust out ( Chet Holmgren, Scoot Henderson). Of course, Jokic and the defending champs reside there, too. Although the Nuggets lost the experience of Bruce

Miami Heat center Orlando Robinson, center front, makes a basket as Boston Celtics guard Jay Scrubb (29) tries to keep him from the net during an NBA Summer League basketball game Saturday, July 8, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP) Rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama and many of the highest 2023 draft picks are out for the rest of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but several other players are worth watching. Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, this year’s No. 16 overall pick from Baylor, is second in the league with 29.5 points and third with 8.5 assists per game. He opened with 33 points and 10 assists on July 8 in a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. In Monday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, he scored 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting and had seven assists. He’s firing 12.5 3-pointers per game and has made 44% of them. Others who are off to hot starts: — Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. is leading the league with 35.5 ppg, although he might be among the players who will be held out of play the rest of the summer. — Sam Merrill, who turned a 10-day contract into

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) brings the ball up court against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in Salt Lake City. Clarkson and the Utah Jazz have agreed on a three-year contract extension, a person with knowledge told The Associated Press on Sunday, July 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis wasn’t a free agent this summer. And he won’t be for the next few summers, either. Sabonis has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Sacramento Kings, one that will keep him signed through the 2027-28 season, a person with knowledge of the talks confirmed Sunday. The extension includes a raise on his salary for this coming season to nearly $31 million, and his salary for the four subsequent years will average about $47 million, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the signing. The total value of the deal is about $217 million. ESPN first reported the agreement on Saturday night, and The Sacramento Bee subsequently confirmed it as well. It was part of a big-spending start to free agency this

FILE – Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith speaks to reporters during a news conference, Sept. 26, 2022, in Salt Lake City. The Utah Jazz will begin making their game broadcasts available over-the-air starting this coming season, becoming the latest franchise to pivot to a new option for fans and potentially reaching more viewers than ever before. The Jazz unveiled their plan Tuesday, June 20, 2023, with owner Ryan Smith announcing the launch of his new production company called SEG Media. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) The Utah Jazz will begin making their game broadcasts available over-the-air starting this coming season, becoming the latest franchise to pivot to a new option for fans and potentially reaching more viewers than ever before. The Jazz unveiled their plan Tuesday, with owner Ryan Smith announcing the launch of his new production company called SEG Media. Its platforms will allow Jazz fans with a basic antenna to watch all games that aren’t televised nationally, and will also feature a paid subscription-based streaming service that will also feature unique team content. Smith said only 39% of households in the state had the ability to watch Jazz games when he bought the team. “Now, if you have a

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) jumps to pass, while defended by Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay, center left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 13, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) MIAMI (AP) — Another night, another close game for Miami. Jimmy Butler scored 24 points to lead seven Miami players in double figures, Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent each scored 18 and the Heat held off the Utah Jazz 119-115 on Monday night. It was Miami’s 24th win by five points or less this season. “When it gets into those moments of truth, I’ve said this before, at least we understand what our package is and what we’re trying to do, how we want to execute,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ve had so many reps and film sessions and walkthroughs and teaching points … I think we’ve all gotten better from that, including the coaching staff.” Bam Adebayo scored 16 for Miami, while Victor Oladipo and Kevin Love each had 11 and Caleb Martin scored 10. Lauri Markkanen scored 38 for Utah, which got 23 from Simone Fontecchio and 14 from Ochai Agbaji. Miami was 31 for 36 from the foul line,

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Talen Horton-Tucker scored a season-high 37 points and had 10 assists and nine rebounds as the Utah Jazz defeated the Charlotte Hornets 119-111 on Saturday night for their second straight win. Walker Kessler added 17 points and 16 rebounds and Kelly Olynyk had 17 points for the Jazz, who outrebounded the Hornets 60-43. Lauri Markkanen had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 24 points and Terry Rozier added 22 for the Hornets, who had their two-game win streak snapped. The Jazz (33-35) entered the night a half-game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the 10th spot in the Western Conference. Horton-Tucker has been pressed into the primary ball-handling role of late because of injuries — and responded in a big way against the Hornets (22-47) while dominating the game from the outset. Nearly everything was falling from floaters to mid-range jumpers to 3-pointers for Horton-Tucker, who finished 14 of 24 from the field. His previous season high was 23 points. He had a career-high 40 last season against Golden State. The Jazz never trailed and took a 58-49 lead into halftime after getting 15 points from Horton-Tucker, including a spin move in the