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Are the Utah Jazz making a play-in push? I don’t know, maybe, but in emotional and exciting battles like this one against the Chicago Bulls, it’s hard not to smile as Utah shreds its own lottery ticket.

Defense? Never heard of her. How strange is it that we live in a world where basketball teams regularly stretch near 100 points before the end of the 3rd quarter? Without a defensive anchor, Walker Kessler, roaming the hardwood plains, the Utah Jazz hemorrhaged points against the Chicago Bulls, while piling a second, third, and even fourth helping of points onto their scoring total with no regard for their belt, the limits of the scoreboard, or their viewers’ ability to stomach such indulgent quantities.

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Complaining about the lack of defense in today’s league makes me feel like an old man, and I haven’t even eclipsed a quarter of a century. Yuck. Though I suppose, in a double-overtime epic like this one, who cares about point totals?

The post-Jordan era Chicago Bulls have been one of basketball’s greatest enigmas in the sport’s professional history. No championships, a smattering of mediocrity, and team after team that promises glory while garnishing a hollow trophy case since the year 2000 (with respect to the ne’er-to-be-forgotten Derrick Rose MVP season, of course).

Perhaps we can chalk this up to a John Stockton-Karl Malone curse? The Utah Jazz have reached the NBA Finals just twice in franchise history, in back-to-back seasons as the MJ buzzsaw sliced through one of the most potent basketball duos the game has ever seen.

With all this in mind, please forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical of this season’s apparent success for the Chicago Bulls. They began the year with an incredible 6-1 record behind tremendous play by Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic, as the team officially shed the chains of the DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine era of, well, mediocrity in the Windy City. The Sacramento Bulls thank you for your donation.

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But since that sixth win, the Bulls have lost four straight to teams with winning records. This meeting against the red-hot combo of Markkanen and Bailey (how I’ve longed to say that) promises a change for the faltering Bulls, however, as point guard Coby White (owner of the greatest hair in the league) is set to make his season debut after nursing a calf injury.

Correcting course and setting sail for familiar territory in the draft lottery, Utah’s front office has to understand that games against Chicago are not for the Jazz to be winning, no matter how capable the team may be. In all honesty, this team at full strength may very well be play-in caliber with the surging production of Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Ace Bailey.

But let us remember, with an eye on the horrific records dwelling near the bottom of the standings, Utah cannot afford to miss out on this apparently stacked draft class.

Judges, today the Utah Jazz have baked a tanking tart, complete with a smattering of ghostly defense, plenty of minutes in the oven for rising star Svi Mykhailiuk, and a raspberry filling. Recalling the objective of this season, having seen enough of Cam Boozer, AJ Dybatnsa, and Darryn Peterson to understand that falling anywhere outside of the top three could be a crime punishable by death.

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…But sometimes winning is just so much fun. More on that in a minute.

Ace Bailey has finally been put into the starting lineup and is kicking all kinds of butt on his way… that is, until foul trouble threw off his groove, and saw him spending most of the night’s game with his butt planted firmly on the bench.

In the previous two games, Bailey’s stat sheet read as follows:

vs Indiana: 20 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 53.8% FG, 50% 3PT
vs Atlanta: 21 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 61.5% FG, 57.1 3PT

Against Chicago, Bailey’s six fouls in 10 minutes stifled his production:

vs Chicago: 5 pts, 1 reb, 1 blk, 40% FG, 33% 3PT

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Despite the poor overall showing today, Ace’s recent production has Utah finally buzzing about star potential.

Speaking of star potential, I’d like to say a quick word about one Keyonte George, who turned a slow start (5 points in the first half) into one of the primary reasons why this team remained competitive throughout this contest, as he finished with 34 points, 6 dimes, and 4 steals, including repeated buckets in clutch moments. His ability to draw fouls and hit free throws (shooting over 92% on the year) has completely expanded the limits of his production. A leader on the team, having matured both mentally and physically, Keyonte George’s leap in year 3 has been revelatory.

Related story: Keyonte George’s transformation goes deeper than you think

And by primary reasons, I mean non-Lauri Markkanen reasons, as the Finnisher lathered layer after layer of paint coats onto his stable and steady Delta Center home. Lauri, already averaging over 30 a night, stuffed the points column with 47 points all his own. Unreal. Down the stretch, he was a guaranteed basket. Collecting fouls, knocking through pick-and-pop jumpers, and reliably finding the next gear to answer every Chicago punch. Truthfully, it will take a severe fall from grace for Lauri to whiff on the All-Star game this season, right?

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The Utah Jazz have an undeniable star in their midst. Whether you’re in camp ‘Trade Lauri’ or camp ‘Keep Lauri’, his value as an asset may be at an all-time high — we are witnessing his prime.

Brice Sensabaugh, buddy, welcome back to the show. After a quiet first half, Sensabaugh ignited an explosion of production, whipping absurd passes to open teammates and torching the nylon on the other end for his own stat line. On defense, his effort was undeniable — he was everywhere, whether that reflected in production or not. This is why he was on the floor in OT — he’s earning Will Hardy’s trust.

Even Isaiah Collier enjoyed a strong night, tallying 17 points and 7 assists on excellent efficiency and sharing the floor well with Keyonte. Unfortunately, Collier’s reliability came at the expense of minutes for Walter Clayton Jr, though the decision to run with the second-year USC product is an understandable one.

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The fourth quarter was as cinematic as the script-writers could have drafted it, with this game seeing so many lead changes that ESPN’s win probability chart in the late game read exactly like my heartbeat; my eyes firmly glued to the screen. Everybody shut up — I’m watching the Jazz.

Do you know what’s even better than four quarters of basketball? May I introduce you to my dear friend, overtime? Keyonte’s fallaway jumper missed everything as time expired, and overtime began.

Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Brice Sensabaugh became the super friends in the final period. George splashed stepback threes. Sensabaugh rattled a contested elbow jumper through the cylinder. Markkanen, in defiance of Isaac Newton’s life’s work, snuck a heavily contested mid-range flip shot through the rim while fully parallel to the Earth.

The final seconds of OT drained like oatmeal. Moments turned to minutes, and minutes physically aged me by years at a time. With Utah up two points, Coby White — head on a swivel — forced a jump ball and the Bulls converted a layup on the other end.

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The second OT started out all Utah. The Bulls were caught with foul after foul, and the Jazz bought a timeshare at the foul stripe. Markkanen and George converted the charity shots at a high rate, and points were tallied without the passage of time. Chicago kept itself within an arm’s reach, and a Coby White pump-fake-jump-forward shot with his foot on the line opened the door for White to sink his 13th and 14th free throws and knot the score, 147-147.

With seconds on the clock, curling around a screen on the right wing, Keyonte caught a laser in rhythm, and his catch-and-shoot sledgehammer snapped through the net to drive the final nail into Chicago’s coffin. Keyonte George drilled his 34th point in the evening’s climax.

Keyonte would not miss his second chance to seal the win. His release was pure, the result even more so. Ball game.

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

SALT LAKE CITY — Keyonte George made a 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Lauri Markkanen scored 47 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls 150-147 on Sunday night in the NBA’s highest-scoring game of the season.

George finished with 32 points — including six in the second OT. Isaiah Collier and Brice Sensabaugh each had 16 points, and Kevin Love and Svi Mykhailuk each added 10 as the Jazz won for the second time in three games after losing six of seven.

Coby White scored 27 points and Josh Giddey had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists for the Bulls, who have lost five straight. Nikola Vučević had 21 points, Matas Buzelis and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 18 and Julian Phillips scored 10.

White, whose layup with 0.2 seconds left in the first OT tied the score at 136, made two free throws with 8.4 seconds to go in the second OT to tie it at 147. After George’s go-ahead 3, Vučević missed a potential tying basket at the buzzer.

Utah led 136-132 in the final minute of the first OT, before Buzelis had a dunk with 27 seconds to go and White made his tying layup to send it to a second OT.

The Jazz trailed by seven early in the fourth quarter before using an 8-0 run to take a 102-101 lead on Sensabaugh’s 3 with 9:23 remaining. Collier followed with a layup to push the lead to three less than 30 seconds later.

Jalen Smith’s 3 tied the score with 8:41 to go, and there were several lead changes and seven ties the rest of the quarter. Markkanen, who had 12 points in the fourth, hit a free throw with 19 seconds remaining to tie it at 127.

Markkanen had 13 points in the third quarter to help Utah cut Chicago’s nine-point halftime lead to 98-94 heading to the fourth.

Giddey and White each scored 12 points to help the Bulls take a 70-61 lead at halftime. Markkanen had 18 points to lead the Jazz.

WACO, Texas — Byrd Ficklin stole the show in Utah’s 55-28 win at Baylor.

In a freshman season full of memorable moments, Ficklin delivered a few more on Saturday.

He had touchdown runs of 67 and 74 yards, the latter of which featured a stiff arm that moved the last man Ficklin had to beat out of the way.

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The 74-yard touchdown run, which came with Utah up just eight points early in the third quarter, broke the game open. It was the start of a 21-0 Utah scoring run as the Utes blew out Baylor 55-28 to improve to 8-2 on the year.

“It was just more of, take care of the ball, don’t give them more momentum,” Ficklin said of his mindset on the touchdown drive. “Come out here and be a vibe killer and when we broke that long run, that’s pretty much what it did. It killed their whole entire vibe for the rest of the game.”

Prior to that key touchdown in the third quarter, Ficklin had already been in the end zone. Starting quarterback Devon Dampier went to the locker room ahead of Utah’s fourth drive of the game, with Wayshawn Parker taking the wildcat snap of the first play of the series.

Dampier was back in to hand the ball off to Parker on the next play, then lined up wide on the third play of the drive as Ficklin took the snap, faked the handoff and then took off down the sideline for a 67-yard touchdown run to put Utah up 21-7.

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“It can be nothing but fun … We talk about this especially all the time in our hotel room. What are we going to do whenever we’re both in and we score? It is just something that we both love, we both have fun with and it’s a really loving relationship between me and my best friend,” Ficklin said.

Dampier was one of the first players down to the end zone to celebrate with Ficklin.

Utah’s usual starting quarterback was playing through injury and was not at 100%. Ute coach Kyle Whittingham said if the game was last week, that Dampier wouldn’t have been able to play.

Without Dampier’s usual dynamic play — he finished with 80 yards and two touchdowns on 46% completion and just 23 yards rushing — Whittingham and the Utes turned to Ficklin to provide their offense a spark.

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The freshman quarterback finished the game with 166 rushing yards and two scores and even completed two of three passes for 23 yards.

“A lot of confidence during practice (and) again, he’s gone in there and he’s been perfect when he goes in. So not a far drop off at all. It’s pretty similar,” Dampier said.

It was telling of Dampier’s leadership that while he was no doubt frustrated that he could not play at his full potential in the win in Waco, he was genuinely happy and supportive of Ficklin.

“Dev has been the most help out of anybody that’s been here,” Ficklin said on an ESPN 700 coaches’ show. “… He’s been really pushing me on and off the field to not just be a better player, but also be a better person. And that’s what I mainly love about Dev.”

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Throughout spring and fall camp, Dampier took Ficklin under his wing, helping show the freshman the ropes as he went from starring at Muskogee High to becoming the backup quarterback at Utah. That wasn’t something Dampier had to do, and it speaks to his willingness to lead.

“Yeah, well that’s who he is. He’s an absolute team guy as well. We got a bunch of guys that are just, I can’t pick out a selfish player in this football team and say this guy needs to come to the party a little bit as far as being a team guy,” Whittingham said. “It’s a bunch of guys all pulling in the same direction, caring more about the team than they do about themselves.”

After the win, Dampier spoke glowingly about Ficklin and seemed genuinely happy for his success.

“We got a very loving relationship. There’s no hate involved in anything, so anytime we get to see each other shine, we’re all for it. So Byrd stepped up as a freshman, he’s earned those rights today to get in the game. I mean he proved it tonight why he’s in,” Dampier said.

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After the blowout win where each contributed a pair of touchdowns, the two teammates walked off the field and into the locker room side by side. That’s a common sight around Utah’s football facility, in the locker room, and in the pair’s day to day life.

When they’re not together in person, they’re FaceTiming each other — Dampier says they talk probably five times a day on the phone.

“It is literally almost like if Dev’s going to be there, Byrd’s going to be there. It’s almost literally like that,” Ficklin said. “… We just happen to hang out together almost all the time, almost every day.”

Utah has one of the better quarterback situations in the Big 12 Conference due to having complete confidence in its backup quarterback. The previous two seasons showed the Utes just how vital having a good backup is. In the transfer portal era, it’s become a luxury to have two good quarterbacks on their roster, and having Ficklin waiting in the wings has already been key in at least two Utah wins.

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While Dampier should continue to be the starter as long as he can play on Saturday — Whittingham seemed sure of that during the postgame press conference — the Utes may need to call on Ficklin again at some point in the next two games, starting with Saturday afternoon’s game vs. Kansas State (2 p.m. MST, ESPN2).

He’ll be ready.

“Byrd Ficklin was probably the biggest catalyst for us when we needed it. He provided two huge runs for us and the guy’s just a really good football player,” Whittingham said “… He’s got a bright future as I’ve said several times before he’s just really provides a spark for us.”

When the University of Utah takes the Huntsman Center court against Sam Houston on Saturday night, James Okonkwo won’t have to stay on the sideline this time.

The fifth-year transfer forward can finally suit up for the Runnin’ Utes in the regular season.

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While the 6-foot-8 forward was able to play in Utah’s two exhibition games, he missed the Utes’ first three regular-season games due to transfer rules.

“It’ll be good, because then we’ll get a better feel for our rotations, just when we were starting to get a little continuity there,” Utah coach Alex Jensen said of having Okonkwo available.

“You know, first year, all new players, all new coaches, it’s going to be discombobulated in some ways. But it’ll be good to get them out there and see different combinations with James.”

That allowed other front court guys like JUCO transfer Josh Hayes and true freshman Kendyl Sanders an opportunity to gain some valuable extended minutes they might not have gotten if Okonkwo had been available.

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“I think it is a blessing in this, (it) gives other guys opportunities they might not have necessarily had,” Jensen said. “Hopefully, it kind of puts us ahead of the curve a little bit in figuring out what’s best for us.”

Utah and Sam Houston will meet at the Huntsman in a 7 p.m. MST tip that will be livestreamed on ESPN+.

The Utes bring a 3-0 record into the matchup, while the Bearkats are 1-1, including a 98-77 loss over another Big 12 team, No. 11 Texas Tech, a week ago.

“Sam Houston, I think, is a good team. (They) did a good job against Texas Tech and they’re aggressive,” Jensen said. “I think it’s another good test to see kind of where we are. I think we’ve improved in our first three games, and hopefully we continue that trend.”

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Okonkwo is expected to play a major role in the interior for a Utah squad that is short on height and has reshaped 80% of its roster, after losing nearly every rotation player to the transfer portal or graduation.

The Utes are already short a couple of big men, with Babacar Faye out for the season due to injury and Ibi Traore having yet to play as he continues to recover from an injury that forced him to miss all of last season.

With Okonkwo unavailable for the team’s first three games, that forced Utah to make adjustments up front and play guys out of position. The Utes struggled with rebounding over the first two games before looking improved in that area in game three.

“It’s definitely going to be a big, big addition for us,” Utah forward Seydou Traore said of Okonkwo’s return. “Just being able to see the physicality that he brings to the court, especially being (around) him this whole summer, just seeing how much he improved on and off the court, that’s a big addition for us.”

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When Okonkwo played in Utah’s two exhibition games against Nevada and Oregon, he started each game at the 5 position.

“It’s going to benefit us a lot having James playing the five so me and Keanu (Dawes) can play our normal positions. (It’s) definitely gonna help us a lot,” Traore said. “But I feel like us not playing our normal position definitely helped us, too. I kind of feel like it’s 50/50 in a way, just being able to go down there, bang down with big guys, grab rebounds and stuff like that.”

Okonkwo’s absence gave Hayes, who started the first three games, and Sanders a chance to showcase their skillsets in extended minutes.

Over Utah’s first three games, Sanders averaged 24 minutes, 7.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 52.9% from the floor. He’s also shot 4 of 10 from 3-point range, helping Utah space the floor.

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“I wasn’t expecting to really play as much as I am right now, but I think I’ve taken full advantage of the opportunity, and it means a lot to me,” Sanders said.

Hayes, who stands 6-foot-9, is averaging 13.3 minutes, 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. In Monday’s win over Holy Cross, he had nine points, five rebounds, two blocks and an assist.

“There’s nothing like minutes in real games. There’s the experience. You can’t match it,” Jensen said. “You can’t get it really elsewhere. I think it was good for him. I think it gave him confidence. In a good way, (it) raised our expectations of what he’s capable of.”

Now, this front court will get some reinforcements in Okonkwo.

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“Having him back is definitely gonna help our rebounds. We could always do better on rebounds, and then obviously we could space the court even more,” Sanders said.

“We have a bigger team now with him. I don’t have to play the five as much as I have been playing, but having him and Josh, that’s gonna help a lot with rebounds, blocks and just make us look bigger on the court.”

While Jensen said there isn’t a date yet for when Ibi Traore could return and bolster the frontcourt, “he’s been doing progressively more and more with us in practice.”

The Utes could be getting some help in the backcourt against Sam Houston, too. Elijah “Choppa” Moore, who suffered a concussion in the season opener, is cleared to play, the coach said.

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Saturday’s game is the fourth straight home contest for Utah at the Huntsman Center to start the season. The Utes will also host Purdue Fort Wayne and Cal Poly next week before heading to the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert, California, during Thanksgiving week.

For Jensen, the Sam Houston game provides another opportunity to continue building a foundation that Utah hopes it can rely on moving forward.

“It took us three games, but we didn’t come in at halftime behind in rebounds the last game. I think, (this game is about) laying the foundation and preparing us, because the schedule is just going to get harder from here on out,” Jensen said.

“Hopefully we have kind of that foundation. I think that we’ve been trying to build for before we take too many steps, before we go forward and get better and give us an opportunity to win every game.”

While sunny states like Florida and California are more what come to mind when imagining beautiful beaches, you shouldn’t count Utah out. As incongruous as it may seem — considering Utah is a landlocked state and is often associated with arid landscapes typical of the Four Corners region — it has a surprising number of natural bodies of water and beaches. Though Great Salt Lake is arguably the most famous and largest of them, the sparkling mountain lakes in Fishlake National Forest and Mantua, north of Salt Lake City, are nothing to shake your fist at.

Then there’s Vineyard Beach, one of Utah’s underrated gems. You may miss it if you stay in Provo, but Vineyard, one of the fastest growing cities in Utah, with a walkable downtown, is just 15 minutes away. The beach sits on the edge of town, on the northwest corner of Utah Lake. You can expect a natural and rustic vibe with the copse of leafy trees and sparse grasses lining the windswept shore. If you gaze across the pale blue ripples of the lake, you’ll be met with the incredible Wasatch Mountains in the distance. There is an ample stretch of sand to sit and catch the sun, and while out on the water, you can paddle, canoe, and kayak.

Read more: Research Says You Should Skip These Dangerous Beaches When Visiting Florida

Enjoy the serenity at Vineyard Beach, Utah

Despite the far-flung feeling created by the views at Vineyard Beach, the beach is very accessible. Wheelchair ramps spill out directly onto the sand, and you’ll have your pick of a few covered picnic tables. A life jacket loaner station also meets you at the bottom of the ramp, in case you want to brave a dip. That being said, some visitors don’t feel the water is clean enough for swimming and would rather stick to relaxing on the sand.

If you want to get out on the water at Vineyard Beach, you can. The lake isn’t only popular for rowers and paddleboarders, but people also come to windsurf and sail. You can rent a variety of watercraft at Lindon Marina, including kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, row boats, and Sunfish sailboats. The marina is conveniently located adjacent to the lake, just 2 minutes by car up the road from the beach.

It’s advised to bring bug spray to combat the mosquitoes at Vineyard Beach. In the winter, you’ll get a top-notch opportunity to see the Utah Lake ice stacks. The giant blocks of ice are washed ashore by the lake’s waves, creating pretty piles. It’s generally not safe to venture onto the lake at this time, even if it seems frozen, but you can climb the stacks at the lake’s edge. If you stay at Vineyard Beach until sunset, you’ll get to see the sun as it sinks, spilling golden streams of light down the mountainside and illuminating the lake with a soft glow.

Take on the trails at Vineyard Beach

There are a couple of easy trails at Vineyard Beach. The Utah Lake Shoreline Trail is a fairly long trail stretching 4.2 miles. Described as a nice trail suitable for kids and walking your dog, the trail starts at Sunset Beach Park and is either asphalt or packed gravel. The path then follows the shore past Vineyard Beach and Lindon Marina before looping back around.

Retention Pond Loop Trail starts at the parking lot at Vineyard Beach and circles the wetland pond, joining the Utah Lake Shoreline Trail on the way back. It’s great for those who want to catch sunrays, as there is not much shade. The grass-bordered pond is separated from the lake by a sandbar and mirrors the lake’s shimmer beneath the wide open sky.

There are no bathrooms at Vineyard Beach, and the closest one is 1.75 miles away at Lindon Marina. Parking spaces are readily available, however. There are some chances to bird watch, as the marshy area near the pond is very close.

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