Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) goes up to the basket as Utah Jazz forward John Collins (20) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 15 of his season-high 25 points in a dominant third-quarter stretch, and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away to beat the Utah Jazz 123-95 on Saturday night. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 31 points: 19 in the first half and 12 in the fourth quarter. Rudy Gobert had 11 points and a team-best 10 rebounds against his former team for his fourth double-double in the first five games. “There’s things we could do better, obviously, but it’s good to know that we’re at a point right now, five games in, where we got something flowing. Just got to keep building off it,” Towns said. Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 22 points and eight rebounds. He was 4 of 11 on 3-pointers after making a franchise-record 25 through the first six Utah games. Talen Horton-Tucker and John Collins added 14 points apiece. Utah, which opened a four-game trip, has lost four of five. In seven games, the Jazz

Orlando Magic guard Joe Ingles, rear, defends against Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 30 points, making the deciding layup with 14 seconds left, in the Orlando Magic’s 115-113 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Banchero added nine rebounds and five assists to help the Magic win for the third time in 15 games against Utah. He attacked the paint relentlessly for four quarters. Only one of his nine baskets came from the perimeter, and he made 11 of 15 free throws. “I just wanted to be aggressive and take advantage of the mismatches,” Banchero said. Franz Wagner added 21 points, and Cole Anthony had 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists to help the Magic cap a four-game trip with their second road victory. “I think us winning tonight just kinds shows our growth as a team,” Banchero said. “It’s a boost being able to go back home with some momentum.” Attacking the rim consistently paid off for Orlando. The Magic finished with 56 points in the paint and

Utah Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson (00) and Kris Dunn (11) celebrate during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jordan Clarkson made a big shot to put Utah ahead and then came up with a key defensive stop to help the Jazz get a win. Clarkson made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 28 seconds left and then forced Kawhi Leonard into a tough missed shot on the other end as the Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers 120-118 on Friday night. “He hit me with a bunch of moves — shot fakes and spins. I was happy I stayed down and didn’t bite for the fakes,” said Clarkson, who has had a reputation as a shooter but seldom draws rave reviews for his defensive prowess. Before that, Clarkson just wanted to get a shot for himself or Lauri Markkanen in a 2-for-1 possession situation. “Lauri popped out but couldn’t get a look … so I just took the shot with confidence and knocked it down,” said Clarkson, who had 13 points. Markkanen had 35 points and 12 rebounds and Kelly Olynyk

Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) loses the ball as Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) looks for it during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored 33 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 130-114 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams. Domantas Sabonis added 22 points and 12 rebounds and De’Aaron Fox chipped in 18 points for the Kings. Malik Monk dished out a team-high seven assists off the bench. Sacramento buried Utah from the perimeter, knocking down 19 of 51 3-pointers. The Kings shot 46% from the field overall. The Jazz played a zone trying to contain Sabonis around the basket. It led to plenty of open looks for Barnes and other shooters. “We saw it a lot last year,” said Kings forward Keegan Murray, who made four 3s and finished with 15 points. “We were able to go through that film and find different things that worked, and we just put those to work today, and we were able to see a lot of shots go in.”

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) reacts after a dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) UTAH JAZZ Last season: 37-45, did not qualify for the playoffs. Coach: Will Hardy, second season with the Jazz (37-45 overall). What to expect: Utah made sweeping changes a year ago after trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert and the team isn’t done rebuilding. Lauri Markkanen blossoming into a star and Walker Kessler putting together a strong rookie season helped the Jazz be more competitive than expected, but Utah still missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Climbing the ladder in a deep and talented Western Conference will be challenging. The Jazz acquired John Collins from Atlanta in a trade to partner with Markkanen and Kessler in the frontcourt, and he is another reliable option on offense. They also extended Jordan Clarkson’s contract after he averaged career highs in points (20.8), assists (4.4) and rebounds (4.0) and fully guaranteed the final season of Kelly Olynyk’s deal to give their young roster some veteran leadership. Point guard is one position that remains in flux.

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