Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) shoots a 3-point basket against Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Klay Thompson came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season to knock down seven 3-pointers and score a season-high 35 points, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 140-137 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Thompson was a reserve for the first time since March 11, 2012. Rookie guard Brandin Podziemski replaced him in the starting lineup and finished with 13 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. “You can do two things: You can pout or you can go out there and respond,” said Thompson, who became the sixth Golden State player to surpass 15,000 points. “I thought I did the latter very well tonight.” Coach Steve Kerr had a discussion with Thompson on Thursday morning where he informed him of the change in the starting lineup. Kerr acknowledged Thompson wasn’t thrilled with the decision and that fueled what turned out to be his best offensive performance in an up-and-down season.

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) defends against Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 26 points, Stephen Curry made five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and had 25 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz 129-107 on Monday night without coach Steve Kerr. Kerr was in Serbia for the funeral service for Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who had a heart attack at a team dinner in Salt Lake City on Jan. 16 and died the next day. Kerr, assistant coaches Chris DeMarco and Ron Adams, general manager Mike Dunleavy, team liaison Zaza Pachulia, and team vice president Rick Celebrini were among the mourners. Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson led the Warriors (26-25) on Monday in their fifth straight victory, moving them above .500. Curry made a 33-footer that capped a 14-5 run and made it 114-96. Thompson scored his most points since having 30 against Chicago on Jan. 12. Andrew Wiggins added 17 points and Jonathan Kuminga had 14 – his 31st straight game in double figures – for

Kevin Durant, de los Suns de Phoenix, dispara entre Laury Markkanen (izquierda) y Walker Kessler, del Jazz de Utah, el jueves 8 de enero de 2024 (AP Foto/Darryl Webb) PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Bradley Beal had 30 and the Phoenix Suns — with All-Star Devin Booker sidelined by a sore left hip — beat the Utah Jazz 129-115 on Thursday night. The Suns never trailed, winning their third straight game and 12th of 15. They also swept the four-game, regular-season series from the Jazz. It was an offensive showcase for the Suns, who shot nearly 60% from the field, had 37 assists to just 12 turnovers and scored 30 fast-break points, hitting the Jazz with waves of offense, particularly in the first half. “Our whole team is sharing the basketball,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “We want to become a team-first team. We’ve got elite scorers, we’ve got elite individual talent, but I love how we’re playing together.” Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 22 points, while John Collins had 21 and Collin Sexton 19. Phoenix jumped out to a 40-28 lead in the first quarter, with Durant scoring 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Suns settled

Utah Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk (41) celebrates after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans in overtime during an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. The Jazz won122-121. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Kelly Olynyk is going back to his native Canada, after the Utah Jazz agreed Thursday to trade the veteran forward to the Toronto Raptors, a person with knowledge of the agreement said. Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji are going to Toronto for a first-round pick in this June’s draft, Otto Porter and Kira Lewis, the person said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had yet to receive final league approval. Toronto would become the sixth NBA team for Olynyk, who has also played for Boston, Miami, Houston and Detroit before spending parts of two seasons with the Jazz. Olynyk is averaging 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds this season for Utah, while Agbaji averaged 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds. Both played about 20 minutes per game, primarily off the Jazz bench. Porter had two stints this season where he was sidelined by injury, wasn’t currently in the Toronto rotation and has appeared in only 23 games since the start of last

Utah Jazz guard Utah Jazz forward Simone Fontecchio (16) brings the ball up court during the second half of an NBA basketball game agai9nst the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have acquired Simone Fontecchio from the Utah Jazz for a 2024 second-round pick, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Wednesday because the trade had not been announced. Fontecchio gives Detroit a desperately needed outside shooter and the Jazz landed a second-round pick for a player with an expiring contract. The 28-year-old Italian small forward averaged nearly nine points and made 39.1% of his 3-pointers for the Jazz in 34 starts and 16 games as a reserve this season, his second year in the NBA. Utah signed Fontecchio to a two-year $6.3 million in 2022. While the Jazz are in contention for a spot in the playoffs, the Pistons have the NBA’s worst record a year after losing a league-high 65 games. Free News Delivery by Email Would you like to have the day’s news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lauri Markkanen had 33 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 124-117 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. John Collins chipped in 22 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz while Keyonte George added 16 points and five assists. Utah outscored the Thunder 19-9 in second-chance points and had a 60-36 edge in the paint. “Our defense in protecting the paint is ultimately what gave us chance to win,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 28 points and seven assists. Jalen Williams had 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists and Chet Holmgren added 22 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder. Oklahoma City scored 21 points off 17 Utah turnovers. The Thunder made 19 3-pointers but only scored eight points in the paint after halftime. “They outrebounded us, they won the paint battle, losing those two things in the margins we lost them in, it’s going

Milwaukee Bucks’ Malik Beasley, left, and Bobby Portis, right, defend against Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) who shoots during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 123-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night. Collin Sexton scored 19 points to help the Jazz snap a three-game losing streak. John Collins added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Keyonte George had 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Jazz outscored the Bucks 40-13 in the fourth quarter. Defensively, Utah tallied 15 points off seven turnovers over the final 1½ quarters. The Jazz also allowed only four baskets over the final 12 minutes. “We were getting stops so it kind of feeds into the offense,” Markkanen said. “You always look at offense and defense separately, but they really go hand in hand. You get stops, you get out and run and then you get good shots.” Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 33 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds. Bobby Portis added 27 points and Malik Beasley had 16. Damian Lillard added

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to move the ball around Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson believed the New York Knicks were headed in the right direction when the calendar turned to 2024. He didn’t realize they would start it with one of the best months in franchise history. Brunson had 29 points and nine assists, Donte DiVincenzo made a career-high nine 3-pointers and the Knicks beat the Utah Jazz 118-103 on Tuesday night for their eighth straight victory. DiVincenzo scored 33 to lead the Knicks, who finished 14-2 in January. That was their most wins in a month since going 14-0 in March 1994 and just one shy of their most ever, when they were 15-3 in December 1968. “I’d be lying if I said I saw this coming, but I think one thing I do know is that we’re going to continue to get better every single day and that’s what we’ve been able to do,” Brunson said. With starting forwards Julius Randle and OG Anunoby