Month: February 2025

In one of the most anticipated debuts in NBA history, Luka Dončić introduced himself to Lakers fans in winning fashion, helping Los Angeles to a dominant 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

The 25-year-old superstar received a raucous welcome from the home crowd at Crypto.com Arena, who were gifted No. 77 Dončić T-shirts in celebration of the blockbuster trade that brought him to the City of Angels on February 2.

Luka Doncic was introduced as a Los Angeles Lakers player on Tuesday.

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“Special,” Dončić said of his first game in the famed purple and gold. “The way they received me, everybody, it was amazing to see. I was a little bit nervous before. I don’t remember when was the last time I was nervous before a game, but once I stepped out on the court, it was fun. Just being out there again felt amazing.”

Playing for the first time since Christmas Day due to a left calf strain, Dončić showed some rust, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 24 minutes of action. He also recorded five rebounds and four assists, giving the Lakers faithful a glimpse of what’s to come.

The five-time All-NBA selection wasted no time getting on the board, sinking a three-pointer from the top of the key in the opening minutes of the first quarter, leading to a loud roar from the fans.

Dončić shared the court with NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James, who returned from a one-game absence to post a game-high 24 points, along with eight assists and seven rebounds.

James, seen warming up in a No. 77 Dončić T-shirt, offered words of encouragement before the game: “Don’t fit in, fit the f**k out.”

“It’s special for him to say something like that. It just feels amazing,” Dončić said. “It gives me confidence. And after that speech, there were chills. I was just happy to be a part of it.”

Monday night’s contest wasn’t particularly competitive as the fourth-ranked Lakers cruised to a sixth straight win with the rout of the lowly Jazz.

It was a who’s who in attendance to see Dončić, including Lakers superfans Adele and Will Ferrell, as well as Flea and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki was also in attendance.

Nowitzki, who played his entire career with the Mavericks, explained his decision to attend: “I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 in the first game of his new chapter.”

With his long-awaited debut behind him, Dončić and the Lakers now set their sights on the Jazz again on Wednesday in Salt Lake City as they look to continue their charge up the Western Conference standings.

Mavericks fans ejected after protesting Dončić trade

A cornerstone of the league’s future, Dončić arrived in LA from Dallas as part of a three-team trade that sent shockwaves through the NBA. In exchange, the Mavericks acquired nine-time All-Star center Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick. The deal also saw Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris head to Los Angeles.

Anthony Davis impressed on his debut with the Dallas Mavericks, but it will now likely be some time before fans see him take to the court again.

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Anthony Davis expected to miss multiple weeks with left adductor strain, per ESPN

Mavericks fans protested outside the team’s American Airlines Center before their game on Saturday, and after Davis’ promising debut was cut short by an adductor strain which could reportedly rule him out for up to a month, Dallas fans’ calls for the team’s general manager Nico Harrison to be fired and for the owners to sell the team have grown louder.

Multiple fans were ejected from the arena during the second half of the Mavs’ 129-128 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday due to them violating the NBA’s code of conduct, according to a team spokesperson.

Two of the ejected fans held signs which read “Fire Nico,” according to ESPN.

“In the first incident, the guest brought in a sign that broke the following rule included in the NBA Code of Conduct: Clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s),” Mavericks vice president of corporate communications Erin Finegold said in a statement, per ESPN.

Two more men, one of whom was wearing Dončić’s Slovenian national team jersey, were also ejected after a shouting match with Mavs minority owner Mark Cuban, according to ESPN.

“In the second incident, the fan wore a T-shirt that also broke the rule (cited) and was also intoxicated, disruptive and uncooperative, all listed in the NBA Fan Code of Conduct,” Finegold said in the statement, per ESPN.

CNN has contacted the Mavericks for comment.

The Mavs’ injury woes also deepened on Monday, as the team lost center Daniel Gafford to a right knee sprain. Gafford had to be helped off the court in the second quarter, after suffering the injury setting a screen for Spencer Dinwiddie. With his injury, Dallas will now be without their frontcourt stars in Davis, Gafford, Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell.

Dallas sits eighth in the Western Conference on 28-26, half a game ahead of the Kings and the Golden State Warriors, each of which have won their last two.

When someone dials 911 in the small, western Utah community of Wendover, the first responders who answer the call for help know they’re at least 120 miles from the nearest hospital. There’s no backup in the roughly 900-square-mile area that Wendover Ambulance covers on the border of Utah and Nevada. So the EMTs who respond in crisis have to rely “on what they know and their partner and what they can do” as they work to stabilize patients and get them to safety, said Lauara Lisk, an advanced EMT and the company’s owner.

Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz remembers being the sort of junior high student that walked into a classroom and immediately claimed a desk near the window.

He would then spend much of the period looking outside “so I didn’t have to focus on what was being said the whole time inside the classroom.”

The House’s ranking Republican has often said he was once, like many of Utah’s K-12 students, not always an ideal fit for a traditional public school classroom.

But Schultz’s enthusiasm for school, he told the House Education Committee on Monday, grew once he discovered the junior high wood shop. He later enrolled in auto mechanics class and, along the way, developed appreciation for career and technical education.

Schultz remains a CTE fan and the value it provides to Utah students, prompting his sponsorship of House Bill 447, which helps establish and fund expanded CTE programs in schools called “catalyst centers.”

“CTE training has kind of taken a back seat inside of our public education system — for no other reason than probably lack of funds and prioritizing other portions of academics,” Schultz told the committee.

Committee members Monday voted unanimously to move the bill to the House floor.

Schultz’s bill aims to establish the Catalyst Center Grant Program which would support CTE-anchored programs — or “catalyst centers” — in participating Utah public schools.

The centers, according to HB447, would provide students with learning experiences that mirror workplace practices in, say, health care or construction management. In most cases, the centers would operate inside existing public schools and utilize in-place faculty that would not be funded by the grant program.

Instead, grant funds would typically be used to, say, modify classrooms and purchase new equipment needed to provide advanced technical training essential for today’s evolving industries. Meanwhile, participating schools would be required to align its CTE curriculum with Utah’s labor market and meet the state’s technical education industry goals.

Schultz, R-Hooper, said the state’s Public Education Economic Stabilization Account would fund the catalyst centers with earmarked funds.

“As long as the money is there, then $65 million a year would go into this program — recurring every year to keep making sure those (industry) needs are met all across the state.”

Connecting Utah students with Utah industry

A recent visit to the Davis School District’s Catalyst Center provided Schultz with a working vision of what CTE can be for Utah’s students — and inspiration for his bill.

The Catalyst Center draws students from the Davis district’s 10 high schools and offers studies in business marketing, culinary arts, video production, computer science, construction management, aviation and medical assisting.

The Catalyst Center also aims to prepare its students for careers by exposing them to industry professionals and collaborative group projects.

“Not only were (students) learning the types of technical education skills that they need to be successful in those particular industries — but they were also learning skills to be successful inside the workplace,” said Schultz. “That’s what I fell in love with.”

Schultz originally envisioned similar CTE programs expanding to his native Weber County — “And then I thought, ‘You know what — I want every part of the state to have this opportunity.’”

The sorts of CTE offerings that the proposed catalyst centers would provide benefit participants in their academic pursuits, added Schultz. Studies indicate “that 99% of students who complete a CTE program actually graduated from high school.”

That’s 11% above the state’s high school graduation rate average.

Schultz added that the proposed catalyst centers would connect Utah students with Utah businesses.

“As I talked to some of the industry partners … they were excited to be there because not only were they training the future workforce — they were also able to look for their future (employee) prospects.”

The proposed catalyst centers, he noted, would facilitate students pursuing academic “first credentials.”

“Then they can take that first credential and go get a job right out of high school — (or) they can continue going to one or our amazing universities or technical schools throughout the state to build upon that first credential to earn more certifications and credentials.”

The committee’s chair, Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, called the proposed catalyst centers “game changers.”

“We have to find ways to make the American dream more of a reality for Utahns, and also to truly meet the needs of all kids in our state,” she said.

Schultz concluded his presentation saying CTE programs satisfy essential needs for Utah’s students and industry.

“We need to find ways to get kids off of their cellphones, get them interacting and get them doing things with their hands and learning these types of skills,” he said. “And I think this is the perfect program for that to happen.”

The Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) is reporting that an avalanche-related death occurred on Saturday, February 8, 2025. The UAC’s initial report is missing information ahead of a pending investigation, but here’s what we know so far.

The incident occurred in a backcountry zone called East Bowl near Solitude Mountain Resort and Brighton Resort in Utah’s Big Cottonwood Canyon. The avalanche released at an elevation of 10,300′ on a West aspect. The cause of the avalanche is unknown at this time.

According to the preliminary report, the slide caught and carried two skiers. One skier died from, “trauma” while the other sustained, “significant leg injuries and was evacuated via helicopter.” Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, Utah DPS, and Powderbird responded to the incident. The name of the deceased skier has not been released at this time.

The Utah Avalanche Center’s upcoming investigation will reveal more details about what caused the avalanche. This article will continue to be updated as more information is released.

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You should watch Adrian Kempe and Clayton Keller in particular on Saturday, when the Los Angeles Kings play the Utah Hockey Club at Crypto.com Arena, starting at 9:00 PM ET.

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Currently, the Los Angeles Lakers (31-19) have six players on the injury report, including LeBron James, in their matchup against the Utah Jazz (12-39) at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, February 10 at 10:30 PM ET. The Jazz have six injured players, including Walker Kessler, for the matchup.

The Lakers were victorious in their previous game versus the Pacers, 124-117, on Saturday. Austin Reaves led the way with 45 points, plus seven rebounds and seven assists. On Saturday, in their most recent game, the Jazz lost to the Clippers 130-110. With 24 points, Jordan Clarkson was their high scorer.

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Lakers vs. Jazz Game Info

• Date: Monday, February 10, 2025
• Time: 10:30 PM ET
• How to watch on TV: ESPN, SportsNet LA, and KJZZ
• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Venue: Crypto.com Arena
• Live stream: Watch this game on Fubo (Regional restrictions may apply)

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WHEN: 10:30 a.m. MT

WHERE: Capital One Arena – Washington, DC

TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App

In its final game before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Utah Hockey Club (23-23-9) meets the Washington Capitals (36-11-7) this afternoon at Capital One Arena. Today is the third and final game of a road trip that has included a 3-2 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night and a 7-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes yesterday. Following today’s game, Utah will be off until the team visits the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 22.

ONE-TIMERS

• Clayton Keller is the first Utah Hockey Club player to 20 goals this season.
• Utah’s penalty kill has only allowed four power-play goals in the last 17 games.
• Dylan Guenther has set new career highs in goals (19), assists (20), and points (39) this season.
• Utah is 14-11-3 on the road this season.
• Utah is 7-5-2 against the Metropolitan Division.

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP

After matching up against a Carolina team that ranked top 10 both offensively and defensively, Utah faces a Washington team that is top two on both sides of the puck. The Caps average 3.56 goals per game (second best) and allow just 2.46 goals against per game (second best). Dylan Strome leads a balanced attack for Washington with 52 points (15G, 37A), but the Caps get their goals from all over. Nine players have at least 10 goals for Washington, and eight of their skaters have over 30 points. The Caps are second in the NHL with 79 points.

In net, Logan Thompson has been fantastic this season and has only lost two games in regulation over 30 appearances.

Of course, one cannot mention the Capitals without bringing up the legendary Alex Ovechkin. The future hall-of-famer missed 16 games with a lower-body injury he sustained against Utah on Nov. 18, but he has 11 goals in the 20 games he’s played since returning.

WHO TO WATCH

UTAH: #9 CLAYTON KELLER – After two lamp-lighters yesterday against Carolina, Clayton Keller now leads Utah with 20 goals, making 2024-25 the fifth 20-goal season of his career. The Utah captain now has four multi-goal games under his belt this season.

WASHINGTON: #8 ALEX OVECHKIN – After goals in four straight games entering today, Ovechkin is now just 16 markers away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record of 894. Ovechkin already has 40 points (26G, 14A) in 38 games this season.

LOOK BACK

Utah’s loss to Carolina yesterday at Lenovo Center was more competitive than the 7-3 final might suggest. Utah tied the game at 1-1 with a power-play goal from Josh Doan in the first period.

Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho scored what would be their first of two goals each in the second period before Clayton Keller scored on a breakaway later in the frame. Leading 3-2, Carolina stretched their advantage with a shorthanded goal from Aho and a breakaway tally from Jarvis to make it 5-2. Yesterday’s second period marked just the second time all season that Utah has given up four goals in a single frame.

Keller pulled Utah back within two scores with a third-period 5-on-3 power-play goal, but Jordan Martinook hit an empty-netter for the Canes and Jack Roslovic netted the seventh goal to secure the final. Utah ended up outshooting Carolina 39-38 in the contest.

LAST MEETING

Utah jumped out to an excellent start on Nov. 18 against the Washington Capitals when Jack McBain scored just three minutes into the first period at Delta Center. Later in the first, Washington took control with three goals within a 3:19 window to take a 3-1 lead. Alex Ovechkin scored his 867th and 868th career NHL goals as the Caps piled on throughout the contest. Nick Bjugstad picked up his third goal of the year to lower Washington’s lead to 4-2, but that would be as close as Utah could pull, and the scoreboard displayed a 6-2 Capitals edge by the final buzzer.

POWER PLAY

Utah’s power play lurched to life yesterday in Raleigh after power-play goals from Josh Doan and Clayton Keller. Utah’s man advantage went 2-for-5 against Carolina, who owned the best penalty kill in the league entering the game. Yesterday’s game marked the sixth time this season that Utah recorded multiple power-play goals in a game.

The two conversions against the Canes also snapped what had been a three-game drought on the PP for Utah- the longest since November when Utah went five games without a power-play goal. The Mountain Blue now has 10 power-play goals over the last 15 games, going 10-for-40 (25.0%) in that span. Utah’s power play ranks 15th across the league with a 21.9% conversion rate for the season.

Utah Assistant Coach Blaine Forsyth, who helps run the power play, was formerly a video coach and then assistant coach with Washington from 2006 to 2023.

4 NATIONS FACE-OFF

The Utah Hockey Club will be off for 12 days as Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. square off in a battle for international supremacy on the ice in a round-robin tournament from Wednesday, Feb. 12 to Thursday, Feb. 20 in Montreal, Quebec and Boston, Massachusetts. It will be the first international best-on-best tournament since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

Utah’s Olli Määttä and Juuso Välimäki will both represent Team Finland at the event. Each team will play three tournament games in a traditional Round Robin format, under the following points system: 3 points for a win in regulation time; 2 points for a win in overtime/shootout; 1 point for a loss in overtime/shootout; and 0 points for a loss in regulation time. The two teams with the best tournament record will then advance to a one-game Final.

LOOK AHEAD

After the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Utah Hockey Club will face the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 22 in California.