Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) drives around Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 18, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Adam Fondren) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 114-104 on Monday night. Edwards scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half to help the Timberwolves pull away late. It was his second consecutive 30-point game against the Jazz and third in a row overall. His effort on both ends of the court swung a tight game in Minnesota’s favor. “He’s always been a guy who can really flip a game around,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Knows when to raise it. Knows when to make the big play. Can sometimes make it out of nothing. But now he’s like way more polished with what he’s doing. He’s a little more composed, not rushing it as much.” Naz Reid added 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting but did not play after halftime due to a head injury. Reid’s absence further depleted a Minnesota frontcourt already missing Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns

Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton comes off the rim after a dunk during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, March 15, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Spenser Heaps) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Keyonte George scored 25 points and Collin Sexton added 21 to lead the Utah Jazz to a 124-122 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. George and Sexton combined for 11 assists to help the Jazz snap a three-game losing streak. Both players have had four 20-point games in March and this one helped Utah survive another game without Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson in the lineup. George is quickly evolving from a spot-up shooter into a multi-dimensional scoring threat. The first-round pick only made one 3-pointer against the Hawks, relying on going downhill and finishing at the rim. “Right now, I feel good about where my game is going,” George said. If he keeps it up, George could be the a long-term answer at point guard — a position run by committee for the Jazz at times earlier in the season. “Tonight is just a glimpse into what Keyonte’s future can be,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson glances at the scoreboard during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/George Frey) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 38 points and Derrick White added 24 to lead the Boston Celtics to a 123-107 win over the struggling Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. The Celtics were missing rotation players Jaylen Brown (back), Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) and Al Horford (toe) but shot so well it didn’t matter much. “The law of averages, you play so many games you won’t be perfect every night. You have to stick with it and trust that you’re going to have more good days than bad,” Tatum said about the Celtics shooting 40.8% from 3-point range. Jrue Holiday scored 16 points and Sam Hauser had 14 as the Celtics made 20 3-pointers and outscored the Jazz on second-chance points, 22-8. “We won that battle on the boards and we needed to,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said Keyonte George scored 14 of his 26 points in the first quarter, Jordan Clarkson tallied 21 and Collin Sexton had 20 for Utah, which has dropped 11 of

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, right, drives past Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) DENVER (AP) — Michael Malone needn’t have worried about his superstar center and a potential letdown when the Denver Nuggets faced the short-handed Utah Jazz. Nikola Jokic played through a bruised right arm that kept him out of shootaround and Jamal Murray scored 37 points, helping the Nuggets bulldoze the Jazz 142-121 Saturday night. Jokic had 26 points, six rebounds and eight assists, and Michael Porter Jr. added 19 points for Denver, which inched within a half-game of Western Conferene leading Oklahoma City, which was idle Saturday night. The Nuggets, who were coming off a big win over Boston, led by as many as 39 points in the first half, which helped them withstand Utah’s third-quarter rally that cut the deficit to 14. The Jazz scored as many points in that third quarter as they did in the first half. Down 78-44 at the break, the Jazz outscored Denver 44-24. Keyonte George led Utah with 29 points and fueled the Jazz’s third-quarter surge that made it more respectable and

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan, right, goes to the basket as Utah Jazz center Omer Yurtseven (77) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, including the go-ahead basket with a minute left, to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 119-117 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. Coby White scored 25 points, including seven 3-pointers, and had six assists for the Bulls, who survived a late comeback to beat Utah for the fourth straight time. Nikola Vucevic had 23 points and 12 rebounds. “We just got to stay the course, do what we need to do, pull out the victory and carry on,” DeRozan said. “Every single game is going to be tough.” John Collins led Utah with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Collin Sexton had 24 points and seven assists. Brice Sensabaugh added a career-high 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in his first NBA start. Utah trailed almost the entire time for the first three quarters, but Chicago never led by more than 12 points during that stretch and left room for

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) looks to pass as Utah Jazz forward John Collins (20) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) MIAMI (AP) — Every Jazz-Heat game in Miami for the last seven seasons has played out the same way. They’ve all been close, all the way to the end. And Miami wins. Jimmy Butler scored 18 of his season-high 37 points in the third quarter, Bam Adebayo added 23 and the Heat topped the Jazz 126-120 on Saturday night for their 10th victory in 13 games. “When Bam and Jimmy play with that competitive spirit and are connected from a competitive standpoint, our guys feel like we can beat anyone,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Miami’s seven consecutive home wins over the Jazz have come, in order, by one, two, three, eight, three, four and now six points. Caleb Martin had 18 points and Terry Rozier added 14 for Miami (34-26). Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez Jr. each had 12. “Jimmy got away from us, especially in the second half,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. Keyonte George scored 31 points and Lauri Markkanen had 25

Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward Saddiq Bey (41) and forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr.) ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Johnson had 22 points with 13 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks never trailed after scoring the first 12 points and beat the Utah Jazz 124-97 on Tuesday night. The Hawks have won two straight games after losing All-Star point guard Trae Young for at least four weeks with a torn ligament in his left pinky finger. Dejounte Murray, who has taken over primary ball-handling duties, scored 17 points with 11 assists. The Hawks, who also have center Onyeka Okongwu for an indefinite period with a sprained left toe. Despite the roster limitations, Atlanta has held back-to-back opponents under 100 points for the first time this season. “I think our communication has been better than it has been,” Johnson said, adding success has come with “executing defensively and sticking to the game plan.” De’Andre Hunter scored 20 points Bogdan Bogdanovic had 19 in Atlanta’s balanced attack. Collin Sexton led Utah with 22 points. Walker Kessler added

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) shoots as San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lauri Markkanen scored 26 points and the Utah Jazz beat the San Antonio Spurs 128-109 on Sunday night to snap a five-game skid. Jordan Clarkson added 22 points and 10 assists for the Jazz. John Collins had 20 points and Collin Sexton added 16 points and 10 assists. The Jazz moved within three games of Golden State for the final Western Conference play-in spot ahead of a three-game road swing. Utah played tough defense and thrived in transition, scoring 34 points off 20 San Antonio turnovers and outscoring the Spurs 28-14 on the fast break. “We showed our hands and we kind got in passing lanes, so that’s what we got to do every game,” Markkanen said. “Just fly around. Not just running, but really trying to make the passes tough for them. We got some guys on this team with long wingspans and we try to use that to our advantage.” Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 27