Author: Jesse

The Utah Jazz couldn’t get it done against the Los Angeles Lakers, losing 140–125 in a game that had zero defense on either side and eventually turned into a long, slow unraveling for Utah. What made it frustrating was that the Jazz actually looked sharp early. The pace was ridiculous from the jump — both teams sprinting, ignoring the shot clock, and basically playing pickup. Utah handled it well in the first half because Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen showed up immediately.

Keyonte came in on a confidence high from his Chicago game-winner and played like it. He opened the game with 13 points, 3 boards, 4 assists, no turnovers, and kept that same rhythm the whole night. He finished with 33 on 12-of-22 shooting and looked like the only guy who consistently kept the offense alive. Lauri matched him bucket for bucket early, finishing with 31 and hitting the shot of the night — that off-balance, and-one three over Austin Reaves right before halftime. Utah went into the break up 71–67 and looked like they had momentum.

The problems were everything outside of those two. The Lakers lived at the free-throw line with 18 first-half attempts, and Luka Doncic slowly took the game over. He finished with 37, and once he got comfortable, he was just walking into whatever shots he wanted. Utah couldn’t get a stop in the third quarter at all. The Lakers finally grabbed their first lead late in the quarter and immediately blew the game open. By the time the horn sounded, Utah was down 104–93, and the momentum had completely flipped.

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LeBron didn’t score much but put on a passing clinic with 12 assists, easing his way back into game shape and picking Utah apart whenever he wanted. Ayton and Reaves were huge too — Ayton with 20 and 14, Reaves with 26 and eleven made free throws. And the Lakers’ bench putting up 40 didn’t help either. Utah didn’t get anything close to that level of support.

On Utah’s side, Ace Bailey struggled and looked overwhelmed. Nurkic had flashes but was sloppy with the ball and ended with six turnovers. Cody Williams, once again, just didn’t impact the game. At this point he’s mostly out there doing cardio, and those minutes need to go to someone who can actually influence the outcome. The vet-heavy rotation didn’t make sense either — Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and Svi all played over Hendricks and Walter Clayton Jr., which doesn’t fit a developing team at all.

By the fourth quarter, the Lakers had fully pulled away and the game stopped feeling competitive. It dragged on, the whistles never stopped, and it felt like everyone was just waiting for it to end. As annoying as the loss was, it honestly helps Utah more than a random win. Tank anxiety has been real lately with how hot Lauri and Keyonte have been, and the Jazz badly need a top pick if they want a real long-term forward next to their core.

A tough night, but one that quietly pushes the franchise in the direction it actually needs to go.

SAN JOSE – Macklin Celebrini scored at the 2:52 mark of overtime to complete his third career hat trick to give the San Jose Sharks a 3-2 win over the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday at SAP Center.

Handling the puck near the blue line and with the Sharks on a power play, Celebrini fired the puck past Utah goalie Vitek Vanecek for his 13th goal of the season.

The Sharks had a two-goal lead, but allowed two third-period goals to JJ Peterka, including the tying goal with 2:51 left in regulation.

Celebrini also scored even-strength goals at the 1:47 and 5:58 marks of the first period for his 11th and 12th goals of the season. Askarov had 14 saves in the first two periods and 10 more in the third, but a shot by Peterka from 40 feet away got between the goalie’s upper body and left arm to tie the game 2-2.

Coming into Tuesday, Askarov has been the NHL’s best goalie over the past two weeks with a .965 save percentage and a 4-1-0 record in his last five games.

According to Sportradar, Askarov is the first goalie since the 1955-56 season, when the NHL began tracking such statistics, to have a save percentage that high over a five-game stretch without a shutout.

After Peterka scored at the 9:25 mark of the third period to cut the Sharks’ lead to 2-1, the Mammoth thought they had tied the game with 6:22 left in regulation. But it was ruled on the ice that the Mammoth had interfered with Askarov, a call that was upheld after a coach’s challenge by Utah.

The Sharks were coming off a 1-2-0 road trip that finished with losses to the Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken, and they didn’t score a 5-on-5 goal in any of the three games.

Celebrini solved that problem with a lightning-fast start against the Mammoth.

After the Sharks created a turnover inside their own zone, Will Smith started a rush the other way and got the puck to Celebrini, who carried it into the Utah zone. He then got the puck to Philipp Kurashev, who retrieved it behind the Mammoth net.

Kurashev then sent it out front to Smith, who snapped a pass across the slot to Celebrant. The 19-year-old took a moment before he fired it past Utah goalie Vitek Vanecek for his 11th of the season, 1:47 into the game.

Just 4:11 later, Celebrini broke up a Mammoth pass inside the Sharks’ to set up another rush. Sharks winger Collin Graf picked up the loose puck and sent it ahead to Celebrini, who went in alone on Vanecek and beat his former San Jose teammate five-hole for a 2-0 San Jose lead.

Celebrini’s second goal, which came on a breakaway after a pass from Collin Graf, represented his 29th point of the season, the most for any Sharks player through the first 20 games of the season.

Before Tuesday, Celebrini was third in the NHL with 27 points in 19 games, which was also the third-most ever by a teenager through 19 games, trailing only Sidney Crosby (30 in 2006-07) and Wayne Gretzky (30 in 1980-81). He recently tied Crosby and Gretzky for fewest games needed by a teenager to reach 26 points in a season (17; Nov. 11).

An owl found partially encased in concrete after it got inside a cement mixer in southwestern Utah is expected to fly free again after it was painstakingly cleaned by animal sanctuary workers who described the bird as a “fighter.”

The great horned owl was found at the Black Desert Resort in the southwestern part of the state and arrived at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, earlier this month with its face, chest and right wing covered in dried concrete. After making sure the bird could breathe, sanctuary workers spent days cracking apart the concrete using forceps and cleaning its feathers using toothbrushes, dish soap and their fingers.

Two weeks later, it was able to fly again and is continuing its recovery in an aviary.

“He’s a youngster, which may be why he ended up in a concrete mixer, and we do believe he’s a male because he’s on the smaller side,” said Bart Richwalski with the animal sanctuary.

Great horned owls typically have a downy coating on their feathers that allows them to fly silently as they hunt. But the concrete frayed the rescued owl’s feathers, said Best Friends’ Chief Sanctuary Officer Judah Battista.

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Now the bird makes a “whooshing” sound as it flies, and the sanctuary won’t release it into the wild until it sheds its feathers and can again fly silently. That should occur next spring or summer, Battista said.

“Once our owl friend recovers, we anticipate taking him back to near where he was found, not on the construction site, but somewhere that is a natural habitat for him and release him and let him be,” Richwalski said.

In the spring, summer and fall, travelers flock to Utah’s Canyon Country for the rich red canyons, arches and bulbous rock formations found in the area’s two national parks, national monuments, state parks and recreation areas. However, few make it to this area in the winter, missing out on a unique outdoor getaway.

“If you’re looking for solitude, winter can be a great time to visit,” says Allison Yamamoto-Sparks, visitors services manager for San Juan County Economic Development and Visitor Services.If that wasn’t enough, visitors also receive better prices on tours and stays in Moab, the main city in Canyon Country.

“Lodging and guided activities often have discounted rates during the winter, and if you’re lucky you might even get to see some of our beautiful parks and red rock landscapes covered in a dusting of snow,” Yamamoto-Sparks says.

GETTING THERE

Canyonlands Regional Airport has daily direct flights from Phoenix and Denver on Contour Airlines, which partners with American Airlines and United Airlines. Otherwise, you can fly into Grand Junction, Colorado, or Salt Lake City and drive 112 miles or 234 miles, respectively, to Moab.

HIKE, BIKE OR SKI

Hiking is one of the most popular activities in the region, thanks to a network of hundreds of trails. “You can usually hike year-round in the lower elevations of the desert since it doesn’t get snow often,” Yamamoto-Sparks says.

It’s not all bad injury news for the Kansas State football team.

Head coach Chris Klieman expects Jerand Bradley to be healthy enough to play for the Wildcats when they head to Utah for their final Big 12 road game of the season Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

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That is a welcome development for the K-State offense. At this point in the season, the Wildcats need every healthy playmaker they have on the roster.

Klieman said Bradley’s return will “help a bunch.”

Bradley, a 6-foot-5 and 223-pound senior, has made 13 catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns this season. But he has only seen limited action. Bradley has missed four games because of injuries, including a 14-6 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday.

There is a good chance he will be more involved than usual against Utah, as K-State recently lost top wide receiver Jayce Brown to a season-ending injury. K-State quarterback Avery Johnson will look to get the ball to Jaron Tibbs and Bradley on the perimeter.

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“Getting Jerand back will help us kind of stay the course there,” Klieman said, “after we lose a really explosive player like Jayce. We will lose him as an explosive player and there aren’t going to be probably as many explosive plays without Jayce. But hopefully we still have a really efficient wide receiver group.”

Brown ended the season with a team-high 41 catches for 712 yards and five touchdowns.

His injury was the latest in a string of unfortunate events for the Wildcats, who have also been playing without their leading tackler (Austin Romaine) and their best pass-rusher (Tobi Osunsanmi). Their top running back (Dylan Edwards) also left the team earlier this month.

SPOKANE (AP) — Braden Huff scored 22 points on 11-for-13 shooting and Davis Fogle had a career-high 19 points as No. 13 Gonzaga beat Southern Utah 122-50 on Monday night.

Mario Saint-Supery added 16 points, seven assists and six steals in his first career start for the Bulldogs (5-0), who secured the second-largest scoring output and margin of victory in program history. Graham Ike and Adam Miller had 13 points apiece for Gonzaga.

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Elijah Duval scored 10 points to lead Southern Utah (1-4) as it fell to its worst start under third-year coach Rob Jeter. The Thunderbirds struggled offensively all night, finishing with more turnovers (23) than made field goals (18).

Gonzaga jumped out to a 17-2 lead behind smothering defense and transition scoring. One early sequence began with Ike blocking a layup attempt from Zach Bell, nearly pinning the ball against the backboard. It ended with Adam Miller hoisting a lob to Tyon Grant-Foster for a two-handed finish.

NO. 16 IOWA STATE 96, STONEHILL 57

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey scored 23 points apiece and Iowa State pulled away late in the first half of a win over Stonehill.

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Jefferson added nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a terrific all-around performance that helped the Cyclones (4-0) to another lopsided victory. Their average winning margin is 33.3 points per game.

Iowa State missed all seven of its 3-point attempts in the first half but went 5 of 8 to start the second and put away the game. The Cyclones reeled off a 15-0 run and held Stonehill to one field goal over eight minutes spanning halftime. Back-to-back 3s by Killyan Toure and Jefferson made it 48-27, and it was a 30-point game when Jamarion Batemon hit a 3 midway through the second half.

Milan Momcilovic scored 16 points for Iowa State, and Lipsey added six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

NO. 20 TENNESSEE 91, RICE 66

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Felix Okpara had 20 points and eight rebounds, Nate Ament added 19 points and 10 boards, and Tennessee cruised to a victory over Rice despite an injury to forward J.P. Estrella.

The 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore went down in a scrum of bodies in the first half and appeared to hurt his left knee.

Estrella entered averaging 17.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season. He missed most of last season with a foot injury.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished with 17 points and eight assists for the Volunteers (4-0). Ethan Berg scored 11.

Nick Anderson led the Owls (2-3) with 19 points. Cam Carroll scored 14 and Jalen Smith had 10.

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Gillespie had 10 points at halftime to lead the Vols to a 39-26 advantage.

NO. 24 WISCONSIN 94, SIU EDWARDSVILLE 69

MADISON, Wisc. (AP) — John Blackwell scored 24 points, Nick Boyd added 22 and Wisconsin closed a four-game, season-opening homestand by defeating SIU Edwardsville.

Wisconsin has scored at least 85 points in each of its first four games for the first time since the 1975-76 season. Blackwell and Boyd led the way, with Blackwell going 5 of 6 on 3-point attempts and Boyd making 4 of 7.

Wisconsin plays its next three games away from Kohl Center as its schedule gets tougher. The Badgers have started 4-0 for the second straight year and the third time in four seasons.

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Austin Rapp scored seven of his 15 points during a 16-0 run early in the second half that broke open a close game. Rapp also had eight rebounds to match Nolan Winter for the team lead.

Wisconsin committed just four turnovers.

NO. 25 NC STATE 85, VCU 79

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Darrion Williams scored 28 points, Tre Holloman added 25 and North Carolina State marked its first appearance in the national rankings this season by beating VCU.

Matt Able had 12 points off the bench and Ven-Allen Lubin provided 11 points and nine rebounds for the Wolfpack (4-0), who overcame 17 turnovers.

Holloman made six free throws in the final 18 seconds to help N.C. State win its first November game in the Top 25 in 13 years.

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Barry Evans had 18 points and Jadrian Tracey scored 16, including four 3-pointers, for the Rams (2-2). Lazar Djokovic finished with 13.

N.C. State coach Will Wade spent two seasons (2015-17) as VCU’s coach, and his former team refused to fade away.

The Wolfpack are 4-0 for the fourth consecutive season after winning for the 70th time in their last 74 nonconference home games.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Braden Huff scored 22 points on 11-for-13 shooting and Davis Fogle had a career-high 19 points as No. 13 Gonzaga beat Southern Utah 122-50 on Monday night.

Mario Saint-Supery added 16 points, seven assists and six steals in his first career start for the Bulldogs (5-0), who secured the second-largest scoring output and margin of victory in program history. Graham Ike and Adam Miller had 13 points apiece for Gonzaga.

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Elijah Duval scored 10 points to lead Southern Utah (1-4) as it fell to its worst start under third-year coach Rob Jeter. The Thunderbirds struggled offensively all night, finishing with more turnovers (23) than made field goals (18).

Gonzaga jumped out to a 17-2 lead behind smothering defense and transition scoring. One early sequence began with Ike blocking a layup attempt from Zach Bell, nearly pinning the ball against the backboard. It ended with Adam Miller hoisting a lob to Tyon Grant-Foster for a two-handed finish.

On another wild fastbreak run, Mario Saint-Supery intercepted a pass in the backcourt and threw a lob to Grant-Foster, who missed the dunk, but Miller cleaned it up with a tip-in to make it 36-14.

As the half was winding down, Saint-Supery poked the ball away from Duval for his fifth steal. It set up a layup from Grant-Foster on the other end as Gonzaga went into halftime with a 59–27 lead.

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Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds struggled to handle Gonzaga’s ball pressure, finishing the half with 14 turnovers and 10 made field goals.

Miller scored Gonzaga’s first bucket of the second half on a transition 3 from the top of the key, and the Bulldogs kept rolling from there. Huff continued the surge by scoring 10 points in the next five minutes to push the lead to 79-37, one which Gonzaga never relinquished.

Up next

Southern Utah: At Washington State on Wednesday.

Gonzaga: Faces Alabama in Las Vegas on Monday.

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