NBA: OKC silences Utah, Suns win seventh straight

The Oklahoma City Thunder tightened their grip on the NBA's final Western Conference play-in berth with a 114-98 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday, edging a half-game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points to lead seven Oklahoma City players in double figures as the Thunder snapped a three-game losing streak.

Josh Giddey added 17 points, eight assists and eight rebounds and Aaron Wiggins scored 15 off the bench as Oklahoma City's reserves delivered 50 points.

Now, even if the Mavs win their last two games, the Thunder can clinch 10th place -- and the final spot for the play-in tournament for the seventh- through 10th-placed teams -- if they beat Memphis on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro scored 24 points apiece to lead Miami to a 129-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers that kept alive the Heat's hopes of avoiding the play-in altogether.

With two games left, the Heat still have a chance to grab sixth place in the Eastern Conference from the Brooklyn Nets, although the Nets can lock up the spot with a win in either of their last two games.

Butler scored 14 of his 24 points in the third quarter and also handed out six assists before taking a seat in the fourth period.

Herro, who had five of the Heat's 18 three-pointers, said the Heat were more focused on finding consistency than avoiding the play-in.

"It's just being consistent for us," he said. "No matter what, coming in with the same energy wherever we are.

"Wherever we end up in the seedings, we'll be all right," he added. "We like our chances."

The 76ers, already locked into the third seed in the East behind Milwaukee and Boston, coughed up 17 turnovers, falling into a 25-point hole in the first half.

The Heat led by as many as 33 and Sixers coach Doc Rivers sat his starters in the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, coming off a 52-point performance in a hard-fought victory over the Celtics on Tuesday, scored 21 points and James Harden added 14.

"We just didn't come to play tonight," Rivers acknowledged. "We didn't have great energy. Very difficult game to have energy, honestly. It was an exercise tonight."

In Orlando, Danny Green scored 21 points and Cedi Osman added 19 for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 118-94 victory over the Magic.

Both the playoff-bound Cavs and the out-of-contention Magic rested key players, two days after the Cavs' 117-113 victory over Orlando secured the fourth seed in the East and home-court advantage in the first round.

Donovan Mitchell, whose 43 points for Cleveland on Tuesday was his fourth straight 40-point game, sat out along with Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro.

'Mission accomplished' 

In Phoenix, the Suns had all they could handle from a Denver lineup made up of reserves, pulling away late for a 119-115 victory -- their seventh in a row.

The top-seeded Nuggets rested starters Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The Suns, meanwhile, had 29 points from trade deadline acquisition Kevin Durant, who logged more than 40 minutes as he continues to build chemistry with new teammates Chris Paul and Devin Booker.

Paul made a career-high seven three-pointers on the way to 25 points. Deandre Ayton added 16 and Booker chipped in 15 for the Suns, who took the lead for good on Durant's three-pointer with 4:10 to play.

In all, there were 23 lead changes, including six in the fourth quarter.

Bruce Brown led the Nuggets with 31 points and Reggie Jackson added 20.

"It was good to get some late-game minutes and figure out what we wanted to do on both sides of the ball," said Durant, whose on-court time with his new teammates has been limited by injuries.

"I feel like it was mission accomplished tonight."

Agence France-Presse

Celtics rip Suns in NBA showdown while Morant has triple double

WASHINGTON -- Boston's Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum turned a matchup of NBA conference leaders into a rout on Wednesday while Ja Morant's triple double sparked the Memphis Grizzlies over Oklahoma City.

Tatum and Brown each scored 25 points as the Celtics improved the NBA's best record to 21-5 with a 125-98 blowout victory at Western Conference leader Phoenix.

Boston stayed two games atop Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference while Phoenix fell to 16-9 and a half-game behind New Orleans (16-8) in the West.

The Suns trailed 69-42 at halftime, their largest deficit of the season to that point, and by as many as 45 points in the third quarter.

"We were just really connected," Tatum said. "We're just making the right plays. We hit a lot of shots tonight."

The Celtics, who lost to Golden State in last season's NBA Finals, improved to 10-3 on the road.

"We're happy with the way we're playing," Tatum said. "But we're far from satisfied. This doesn't mean anything if we don't get back to where we want to get to (the NBA Finals) and get over that hump.

"It's a long process but we're trending in the right direction."

Phoenix welcomed back guard Chris Paul, who missed a month with a heel injury. He had four points, four rebounds and four assists.

Morant, meanwhile, delivered a triple double with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to lead host Memphis over the Thunder 123-102.

It was a club-record sixth career triple double for the 23-year-old US guard.

"It means a lot," Morant said. "A lot of credit goes to my teammates and my coaches putting me in positions to excel at a high level.

"We knew rebounding was important. I took it upon myself early on, I think I had seven early. Every other stat was from my teammates. Them knocking down shots opened up shots for me on the floor as well."

Memphis allowed only 15 points in the fourth quarter.

"It was pretty much just locking in, getting stops and rebounds," Morant said. "We've got to continue fighting and play hard."

Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and added six rebounds and seven assists while Jrue Holiday contributed 31 points in Milwaukee's 126-113 victory over visiting Sacramento. The Bucks improved the NBA's second-best record to 18-6.

Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 33 points with nine assists, five rebounds and four blocked shots while Kevin Durant added 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in Brooklyn's 122-116 home victory over Charlotte.

- Jazz edge Golden State -

Simone Fontecchio made the winning basket with 1.4 seconds remaining to give Utah a 124-123 home victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Golden State's Jordan Poole scored a game-high 36 points but his bad pass set up the Italian forward's decisive inside shot.

Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 22 points while Fontecchio added 18 off the bench.

Zion Williamson scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to spark New Orleans over Detroit 104-98. The host Pelicans took the West lead with their fifth consecutive victory.

D'Angelo Russell scored a game-high 28 points and Frenchman Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 21 rebounds to power Minnesota's 121-115 home win over Indiana.

Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet each scored 25 points to lead the Toronto Raptors over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 126-113.

The Lakers, without Anthony Davis due to illness and LeBron James with a sore ankle, were led by German guard Dennis Schroder's 18 points.

Orlando's Paolo Banchero made six free throws in the last seven seconds of overtime to give the Magic a 116-111 home triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Italian-American Banchero scored a game-high 23 points and went 13-of-14 from the free throw line.

Chicago defeated visiting Washington 115-111 behind 27 points from DeMar DeRozan while Julius Randle had 34 points and 17 rebounds to lead New York over visiting Atlanta 113-89.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Embiid's 59 points lead Sixers past Jazz, Garland's 51 not enough for Cavs

LOS ANGELES -- Joel Embiid scored 59 points to carry the Philadelphia 76ers to a 105-98 victory over Utah on Sunday, just one of two 50-point performances that lit up the NBA night.

Cleveland guard Darius Garland scored 27 of his 51 points in the fourth quarter, but his heroics weren't enough to prevent the Cavaliers from surrendering their first defeat on their home floor, 129-124 to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Embiid's epic, which improved on his prior career best of 50 points, proved to be all the 76ers needed to hold off the tenacious Jazz.

The Cameroonian big man added 11 rebounds and eight assists along with seven blocked shots, all just a day after he scored 42 points in a victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

"I've never seen a more dominating performance, when you combine defense and offense," 76ers coach Doc Rivers said after Embiid became the first player in league history with 50 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a game since blocks became an official statistic in the 1973-74 season.

With the Jazz pressing late, Embiid scored 26 of Philadelphia's 27 points in the fourth quarter.

Chants of "M-V-P" were raining down at the Sixers' Wells Fargo Center as Embiid poured it on.

The teams were tied heading into the final period, and Embiid's turnaround jump shot with less than six minutes remaining knotted the score at 94-94.

He hit two free throws on Philadelphia's next possession for a 98-96 Sixers lead. His fadeaway jump shot with a minute remaining put Philadelphia up 103-98 and he closed out the scoring with a pair of free throws.

In Cleveland, Garland barely beat Embiid to the first 50-point performance of the season as he became the fourth Cavaliers player to hit the half-century mark along with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Walt Wesley.

Garland's 10 three-pointers -- six in the fourth quarter -- were just the start as Garland dazzled with an array of agile jump shots and bullish drives to the basket.

"Special," Cavs veteran Kevin Love said of Garland's performance. "A masterclass by Darius that was just beautiful."

Cavs star Donovan Mitchell was cheering from the bench as he sat out with a sore ankle, but Garland's career night wasn't quite enough.

D'Angelo Russell scored a season-high 30 points on 11-of-13 shooting and handed out 12 assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points for the Timberwolves, who led by 24 late in the third quarter.

- Thunder silence Knicks -

Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled into New York and thumped the Knicks 145-135 to the vocal dismay of the Madison Square Garden crowd.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and Josh Giddey had a triple-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the young Thunder squad.

Australia's Giddey, 20, joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to post triple-doubles in their first two games at the iconic Manhattan arena.

"We come here once a year, so you've got to have fun while we're here and luckily in my time we've had two wins, so it's been going good so far," Giddey said in a post-game interview.

Lu Dort also scored 24 points for Oklahoma City, who connected on 62.5% of their shots from the field. That included making 17 of 31 from three-point range.

The Knicks out-scored the Thunder 48-36 in the first quarter, setting a franchise record for points in the first period.

But Oklahoma City buckled down defensively in the second, holding the Knicks to 25 and scoring 43 to lead by six at the break.

They never trailed and led by as many as 19 in the second half.

In Washington, Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points and Deni Avdija chipped in 21 to lead the Wizards to a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Washington notched a fourth straight victory despite the continued absence of Bradley Beal. The Grizzlies were short-handed as well, with Ja Morant sidelined by a sore left ankle and Desmond Bane out with a troublesome toe.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Jazz slip past Nuggets behind 36 from Bojan Bogdanovic

Bojan Bogdanovic had a season-high 36 points and a career-best 13 rebounds, Rudy Gay scored 18 points and the visiting Utah Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets 115-109 on Wednesday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points, Royce O'Neal had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson also scored 13 and Mike Conley scored 10 for Utah, which has won 10 straight road games.

Nikola Jokic notched his 64th career triple-double with 26 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists, Monte Morris and Will Barton scored 20 points each and Aaron Gordon had 17 points for Denver.

The Nuggets were again without head coach Michael Malone as well as Jeff Green and Zeke Nnaji due to health and safety protocols. Assistant Popeye Jones served as the acting head coach for the third straight game.

The Jazz played without Rudy Gobert to do inflammation in his left shoulder and Joe Ingles entered health and safety protocols Tuesday. He is the first Utah player to be placed on the list this season.

The Jazz led by as many as eight in the second quarter. Denver briefly took a lead but Utah held a 57-56 advantage into halftime.

The Jazz opened the third quarter on a 13-4 run to go ahead 70-60. Barton drained a 3-pointer but O'Neal answered with one behind the arc. Bogdanovic and Mitchell made layups to make it 77-65 and prompt a Nuggets timeout.

Jokic scored the next eight points for Denver to cut the deficit to 80-73 but Bogdanovic hit two short jumpers and four free throws to stretch the lead to 88-78 entering the fourth quarter.

Clarkson hit the first bucket of the final period to extend the lead to 12 again. But the Nuggets got the deficit under double digits on a Barton jumper, and made it 94-88 on a layup by Morris with 8:20 left.

The Jazz committed two turnovers and Morris hit a 3-pointer to get Denver within three. Clarkson hit a corner 3-pointer, Bogdanovic made a short hook and O'Neal and Gay hit 3-pointers during an 11-4 run to make it 105-95, and Utah closed it out.

-reuters-

NBA: Warriors outlast Jazz behind Stephen Curry’s 28

Stephen Curry scored 28 points, dished out nine assists and broke another NBA record to lift the visiting Golden State Warriors to a 123-116 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

Curry hit 6-of-12 from deep to break his own NBA record by making a 3-pointer for the 158th consecutive game.

Curry scored 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors rallied from an eight-point deficit -- after surrendering a second-half 16-point lead -- to overtake the Jazz.

Andrew Wiggins scored 25 and Otto Porter Jr. added 20 for the Warriors, who played without Draymond Green (health and safety protocols).

Rudy Gobert led the Jazz with 20 points and 19 rebounds, while Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson also each scored 20.

Utah shot 43.5 percent to the Warriors' 53.5 percent, leading to the end of a six-game winning streak. The Jazz were on the second night of a back-to-back set, after beating Minnesota on Friday. Golden State hadn't played since Tuesday.

The Warriors roared ahead by five after trailing by eight earlier in the fourth, but the Jazz tied it at 111-111 on a Bogdanovic 3.

Curry then hit a jumper and a 3-pointer to give the Warriors their five-point lead back heading into the final minute. Andre Iguodala nailed a key 3 in the final minute, and Curry sealed the win from the free-throw line.

Mitchell, now in his fifth season, moved into the top 10 list for all-time scoring in Jazz history.

Gary Payton II, who played junior college basketball at Salt Lake Community College, began the second half with an alley-oop dunk from Kevon Looney for a 66-50 lead.

The game then took a wild turn.

In a 49-second span, the Jazz scored eight straight on 3s from Conley and Royce O'Neale followed by a Bogdanovic basket. Conley concluded the 10-0 run 35 seconds later, bringing the Jazz within six.

Curry made a 30-foot triple to end that Jazz spurt, but the home team got right back to it. Utah went on a 19-5 run to take a five-point lead that it maintained going into the fourth quarter.

Utah went up by eight after a Conley 3 early in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors attacked the basket with Gobert taking a breather and scored seven straight to set up the back-and-forth finish.

-reuters-

NBA: Jazz enjoy crisp victory over Pelicans, 127-105

Donovan Mitchell scored 21 points, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson each added 20 and the revived Utah Jazz rebounded from recent disappointing performances at home to rout the New Orleans Pelicans 127-105 Saturday in Salt Lake City.

Mitchell, Conley, Clarkson, Rudy Gay and Joe Ingles each drained at least three 3-pointers as the Jazz shot 57.1 percent (20-for-35) from long range and 56.2 percent overall to avenge Friday's heartbreaking last-second 98-97 loss to New Orleans.

Mitchell, who has been struggling to find his groove lately, played like his usual self in the first half when Utah built a commanding lead, scoring 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting with seven assists and five rebounds.

Utah took a double-digit lead in the first quarter and built that into a 122-83 cushion with four minutes remaining.

Jaxson Hayes led five Pelicans in double figures with 15 points. The Pelicans missed 27 of 35 3-pointers and shot 43 percent overall.

Devonte' Graham, the hero of Friday's game, started Saturday's contest with a jumper to put the Pelicans on the board first a night after sinking a game-winning 3-pointer.

New Orleans was still within one point several minutes later after Josh Hart's layup trimmed the Utah lead to 11-10.

Bojan Bogdanovic then hit a pair of free throws followed by a Gay triple, and the Jazz were off and running.

Utah used a 10-2 run and a 12-2 surge to build a 17-point lead before taking a 37-23 advantage into the second quarter.

Mitchell sparked a 12-0 spurt by scoring seven straight as Utah built a 62-33 lead with 5:13 left in the half.

The Jazz only scored two points the rest of the quarter - on a 10-footer by Mitchell - and the Pelicans cut the home team's lead to 64-56 with a 12-2 run heading into the locker room.

-reuters-

NBA: Pacers top Jazz in game that sees 4 ejections

Malcolm Brogdon scored a game-high 30 points and the Indiana Pacers ended a four-game road trip with a 111-100 victory over the Utah Jazz in a wild game Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

A night after losing at Denver against a Nuggets team that was playing without suspended MVP Nikola Jokic, the Pacers seemed at a disadvantage against a Jazz team with all of its starters and a spotless home record entering the night.

Utah, however, finished the game without three of its key players after Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles were ejected following a fracas that also resulted in the Pacers losing starting center Myles Turner for the final four minutes.

With Indiana leading 102-92 -- after taking the lead for good in the second quarter -- Gobert and Turner got involved in a physical tit-for-tat that threatened to devolve into a large brawl at the 4:01 mark of the fourth quarter. The ruckus began when Turner hit a driving Gobert from behind under the basket.

Officials didn't call a foul, and a frustrated Gobert tugged at Turner's shorts. Gobert got up and began running down the court when he was hit from behind by Turner. The two players then grabbed each other and began grappling.

Players from both sides rushed toward the two bigs, with Mitchell and Ingles appearing to be the most agitated and needing to be restrained.

Referees reviewed the brouhaha for several minutes before determining that the Jazz trio and Turner had earned early showers. It's possible the league will levy fines as it did earlier in the week when Jokic and Markieff Morris had their even-uglier skirmish.

Brogdon hit a pair of the three technical free throws, and the Pacers cruised to their second road win in eight tries.

Wrestling match aside, the Pacers showed from the first quarter that they weren't just going to lay over despite being on a road back-to-back against one of the best teams in the NBA. Indiana held a 32-30 lead after the first quarter, and then used a Brogdon-sparked 11-2 spurt to regain the edge from the Jazz and take a 60-51 lead to the locker room against a Utah team that didn't play up to its usual defensive standards.

Though Mitchell scored 26 and Gobert totaled 19 points and 11 rebounds, the rest of the Jazz failed to pick up the slack. Jordan Clarkson was the only other player in double figures with 11 points.

The Pacers, meanwhile, had five players in double digits: Brogdon, T.J. McConnell (21 points), Kelan Martin (14), Turner (13) and Chris Duarte (11).

-reuters-

NBA: Jazz aim to continue dominance over Kings

The Utah Jazz opened their campaign in the manner you would expect from a team that compiled the best record in the league last season.

Now Utah looks to improve to 2-0 when it visits the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

The Jazz dealt with the disappointment of a second-round playoff exit after last season's 52-20 record but there was no residue remaining on Wednesday when they opened with a 107-86 home victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Jazz held the Thunder to 37.4 percent shooting, and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert was in midseason form with 16 points and 21 rebounds.

"You can't control if you make shots or not but you can control how you play defense," Gobert said afterward. "I think if we control what we can control every night and focus on that, we're going to win a lot of games."

Gobert was one of six Utah players to score in double digits. Bojan Bogdanovic led the way with 22 points.

Among the double-digit scorers were reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson (18 points) and fellow reserve Joe Ingles (14).

Also thriving off the bench was Hassan Whiteside with 10 rebounds in his Utah debut.

"We have five (bench) guys that can be starters on most other teams in the NBA," Bogdanovic said. "Our bench is our biggest strength."

The other two Utah players who reached double figures were the starting backcourt of Donovan Mitchell (16 points) and Mike Conley. Mitchell was just 6-of-17 shooting and Conley finished 4 of 12.

Sacramento opened its season with a 124-121 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, but the team has routinely struggled with Utah.

The Jazz have won 13 of the past 15 meetings, including all three of last season's matchups by an average of 29 points.

Utah set a franchise record for points when it demolished the Kings 154-105 in Sacramento on April 28.

The Kings will look to compete much better against the Jazz after holding off Portland. Sacramento held an 18-point, final-quarter lead but had to survive a last-second missed 3-pointer from Damian Lillard to leave victorious.

Harrison Barnes carried the Kings with career highs of 36 points and eight 3-pointers. Coach Luke Walton was thrilled to see Barnes take 11 3-point shots.

"I've challenged Harrison, I want him to get eight threes up a night," Walton said afterward. "He's a very good shooter, and there's no reason he can't make those shots.

"We needed all those points. And that's really how we want to see Harrison playing all the time."

De'Aaron Fox added 27 points and eight assists, and Richaun Holmes had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Sacramento. Buddy Hield scored 17 points and made four 3-pointers to tie the franchise career mark of 1,070 set by Peja Stojakovic (1998-2006).

One player who never left the bench was former No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III. The player the Kings infamously selected over Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft isn't part of the rotation.

Agent Jeff Schwartz blasted the Kings earlier this week for their "mismanagement" of Bagley. Walton, though, isn't interested in a debate.

"I'm not getting into any of that," Walton said. "For me, we're a team. We know we have a plan. We know what that plan is and we're going to need everyone this season."

-Field Level Media-

NBA: Behind Terance Mann's 39, Clippers oust Jazz in Game 6

Terance Mann scored a career-high 39 points and the Los Angeles Clippers stormed back for a 131-119 win over the visiting Utah Jazz to clinch a 4-2 series victory Friday and advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.

The fourth-seeded Clippers, who trailed by 25 points in the third quarter, will face the second-seeded Phoenix Suns for the right to go to the NBA Finals. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.

Los Angeles dropped the first two games of the series before closing out with four straight wins to advance to the conference finals. The Clippers moved on despite playing the past two games without star forward Kawhi Leonard, who has a sprained right knee.

Mann hit 15 of 21 shots from the floor, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range. He had never scored more than 25 points in a regular-season game, and his previous postseason high was 13.

Paul George scored 28 points for Los Angeles while Reggie Jackson added 27 points and 10 assists. Nicolas Batum contributed 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, and Patrick Beverley had 12 points.

Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed nine rebounds for the Jazz. Despite playing with a sore right ankle, he made 12 of 27 shots from the field, including 9 of 15 from beyond the arc.

Utah's Royce O'Neal put up 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson also scored 21. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 14 points, and Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 10 boards.

The Jazz led 94-91 entering the fourth quarter. The Clippers trailed by 22 points at halftime but rallied with a 41-22 advantage in the third quarter.

Mann scored 20 points in the third to fuel the Clippers' comeback. He averaged seven points per game during his second regular season out of Florida State, from where the Clippers drafted him No. 48 overall in 2019.

Utah led 72-50 at the half after Bogdanovic drilled a 3-pointer with 29.9 seconds to go.

Mitchell hit a 3-pointer to increase Utah's lead to 25 points on the first possession of the second half. George responded with a cutting dunk less than 30 seconds later, starting an 11-0 run that sparked the Clippers' comeback.

-reuters-

NBA: Jazz rout, eliminate Grizzlies behind Donovan Mitchell's 30 points

Donovan Mitchell amassed 30 points and 10 assists to lead the Utah Jazz to a first-round-clinching 126-110 Game 5 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.

Sixth Man of the Year winner Jordan Clarkson added 24 points and Rudy Gobert totaled 23 points with 15 rebounds and three blocks as the Jazz, who led by as many as 35 points, earned their fourth consecutive win to eliminate the Grizzlies.

Utah, which finished with the best record in the NBA, now awaits the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers-Dallas Mavericks series.

Ja Morant tallied 27 points with 11 assists while Dillon Brooks also scored 27 for the Grizzlies, who were in the playoffs for the first time in four years. Memphis had to win two games in the play-in -- over San Antonio and Golden State -- to qualify for the playoffs.

The Grizz gave the Jazz a scare by winning the first game in Salt Lake City, but everything changed in Game 2 when Mitchell returned.

Utah opened this game like its players were on a mission to not repeat what happened in the first round last year when the Jazz took a 3-1 lead over Denver only to lose the series after dropping three straight.

Utah went ahead by double digits for good at 18-7 less than four minutes into the game when Bojan Bogdanovic made a layup after a Mitchell 3-pointer.

Remarkably, the Jazz scored 30 points in the first six minutes of the game and finished the first quarter with a 47-27 lead. Utah shot 69.2 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range in the first.

Memphis showed signs of life early in the second quarter, opening on a 7-2 run to pull within 15. But, as they've done the past four games, the Jazz responded. Utah went on a 7-0 run, sparked by four points from Gobert, and cruised to a 75-51 halftime lead.

Mitchell capped his 26-point first half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

The Jazz built their lead to 35 points in the third quarter at 91-56 after a Clarkson 3, and they took a 106-76 advantage into the fourth quarter. That was the third time in this series -- and just the fourth time in franchise history -- in which Utah scored at least 100 points in the first three quarters, according to the Jazz broadcast.

Royce O'Neale and Bogdanovic each finished with 17 points for Utah.

The only thing that went wrong for the Jazz on this night -- when they shot 51.6 percent overall and hit 17 of 44 3s -- was that All-Star point guard Mike Conley left in the second quarter with a sore left hamstring. That's the same injury that kept him sidelined for nine games at the end of the regular season.

-reuters-

NBA: Jordan Clarkson scores 41, but Jazz fall to Steph Curry, Warriors

Stephen Curry scored 36 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 14.5 seconds remaining, as the Golden State Warriors upended the Western Conference-leading Utah Jazz 119-116 on Monday in San Francisco.

The Warriors (36-33) won not long after their spot in the postseason play-in tournament was secured.

Jordan Poole added 20 points and Kent Bazemore had 19 for the Warriors, who pushed their lead to as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter before the Jazz rallied late. 

Curry has scored at least 30 points in 37 games this season, reaching that benchmark in 20 of his past 22 contests.

Jordan Clarkson had 41 points for the Jazz, including 24 in the fourth quarter. Bojan Bogdanovic added 27 as Utah (50-19) saw its five-game winning streak come to an end.

Utah pushed ahead on two occasions late, including a 116-114 advantage with 1:11 remaining on a Clarkson step-back 3-pointer. However, Clarkson missed all three of his shots the rest of the way, including a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds remaining.

Utah was without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell (ankle) for the 13th consecutive game and without fellow starting guard Mike Conley (hamstring) for the eighth contest in a row. 

The Jazz lost for just the second time over those eight games.

One season after the Warriors finished with the worst record in the NBA, they will play at least one game after the current regular-season ends. Their play-in spot was clinched after the New Orleans Pelicans lost to the Memphis Grizzlies earlier Monday.

Andrew Wiggins scored 14 points for the Warriors, while Draymond Green added 12 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Kevon Looney added 13 rebounds for Golden State.

Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 16 rebounds for the Jazz, who still have a 1 1/2-game lead on the second-place Phoenix Suns. Utah, which hasn't won a Western Conference regular-season title since 1997-98, has three regular-season games remaining.

Poole hit a shot from just beyond half court at the third-quarter buzzer that gave the Warriors a 89-75 lead. The hosts appeared ready to finish off the victory from there, but Utah stayed in it by outscoring the Warriors 41-30 in the final quarter.

-reuters-

NBA: Bojan Bogdanovic's career-high 48 points carries Jazz past Nuggets

Bojan Bogdanovic scored a career-high 48 points, Jordan Clarkson had 21 points and eight assists, and the host Utah Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets 127-120 in Salt Lake City on Friday night.

Rudy Gobert had 14 points and nine rebounds, Georges Niang had 13 points and Joe Ingles had 10 points and nine assists for Utah (49-18).

Michael Porter Jr. scored 31 points, Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds, Paul Millsap scored 19, Austin Rivers added 18 and Aaron Gordon 10 for the Nuggets (44-23).

The Jazz came out strong to start the fourth quarter. Niang made an 8-footer and a 3-pointer to go in front, and after two free throws by Porter, Bogdanovic made two more from deep to give Utah a 109-103 lead.

Rivers' 3-pointer cut the deficit to three, but a dunk by Gobert and Bogdanovic's eighth 3-pointer increased the lead to 114-106 with 4:39 remaining.

Denver scored the next five points out of a timeout to get within three. Clarkson hit a 3-pointer and Gobert a layup to make it 119-112.

The Nuggets got within three with a minute left but Clarkson's sixth 3-pointer ended the comeback attempt.

Both teams cooled off after a scorching first half, and things stayed close throughout the third quarter. 

Utah took a 78-77 lead on two free throws from Bogdanovic but Millsap made two foul shots and Porter hit a 25-footer to give the Nuggets a four-point lead.

The Jazz again went ahead by one but Rivers hit two 3-pointers to put Denver back up by five. 

After Utah retook the lead, Jokic made two free throws with 1.5 seconds left in the third to give the Nuggets a 99-98 lead heading into the fourth.

Denver shot 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc in the first half and the Jazz shot 56.5 and 47.8 percent, respectively, during an offensive 24 minutes. 

The Nuggets led by as many as 11 in the first half and took a 73-69 advantage into halftime.

-reuters-

NBA: Jazz blow out Lakers for split of two-game set

With frontline players Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and Mike Conley Jr. back in the lineup, the Utah Jazz made quick work of the host Los Angeles Lakers in the second straight matchup between the teams, prevailing 111-97 on Monday.

The Lakers won the opener of the two-game set 127-115 in overtime on Saturday. With the Jazz having earned a home win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday, Utah coach Quin Snyder chose to rest three of his regulars for the first matchup against the Lakers. High-scoring Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell missed both games, though.

The Jazz never trailed Monday, seizing control early and leading by as many as 25 points in the second half, showing why they are the leaders of the Western Conference.

With the return of Gobert, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the Jazz controlled things inside, finishing with a 52-36 advantage on points in the paint and a 42-32 rebounding edge.

Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 22 points off the bench. Joe Ingles finished with 21 points. Bojan Bogdanovic totaled 19 points, and Gobert finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Conley posted 14 points and 10 assists while teammate Royce O'Neale added 13 points and nine rebounds. All five starters finished in double figures for Utah.

Talen Horton-Tucker topped the Lakers with a career-high 24 points. Kyle Kuzma totaled 17 points, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dennis Schroder added 15 points apiece.

Los Angeles did receive some good news on the injury front regarding sidelined stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Coach Frank Vogel said James has progressed to the point where he's doing light work on the court after being out since March 20 with an sprain injury.

Vogel said Davis (calf) is getting closer to returning but needs to work on his conditioning. Davis has been cleared for full-contact practices and could return by the end of this month if things continue to go well during his ramp-up.

After the loss, Los Angeles heads out for a four-game road trip starting against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. The Jazz head to Houston to take on the Rockets on Wednesday.

-reuters-

NBA: Luka Doncic leads Mavericks past Jazz

Luka Doncic tallied 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the host Dallas Mavericks to a 111-103 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

Doncic shot 6 of 11 from 3-point range to help the Mavericks pull away for their fifth straight victory. Dorian Finney-Smith added 23 points and Jalen Brunson chipped in 20 off the bench. Josh Richardson added 17 -- while making all five of his shots from 3-point range -- and Tim Hardway, Jr. scored 16 points.

Dallas was buoyed from a combined 23 made 3-pointers from its top five scorers. It was the most made 3-pointers Utah allowed in a single game in franchise history.

Mike Conley scored 28 points and went 6 of 10 from 3-point range to lead Utah. Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 16 apiece, although Mitchell missed 17 of 23 shots from the field. Rudy Gobert added 14 points and 15 rebounds.

The Jazz saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end.

Dallas scored on six straight possessions, capped by back-to-back baskets from Finney-Smith, to take a 27-20 lead late in the first quarter. Conley scored three baskets over a two-minute stretch to make it a one-possession game again heading into the second quarter.

Utah had a difficult time erasing the deficit because it could not hit shots from the perimeter. The Jazz shot just 4 of 23 (17.4 percent) from long distance before halftime.

Dallas took advantage of those shooting struggles. Richardson scored three baskets -- including a pair of 3-pointers -- to fuel a 13-6 run late in the second quarter. Doncic capped the run with a three-point play, giving Dallas a 48-38 lead.

Utah's shooting struggles extended into the third quarter, allowing the Mavericks to build on their lead.

The Jazz cut the deficit to 63-58 on a pair of baskets from Bogdanovic. Dallas answered with a 16-5 run to extend its lead to 79-63 late in the third quarter. Hardaway Jr. made three baskets to fuel the run and capped it with a 3-point play.

-reuters-

NBA: Jazz agree to $52-million deal with Jordan Clarkson, report says

The Utah Jazz stayed busy during the truncated NBA offseason, reportedly agreeing to contracts with shooting guard Jordan Clarkson and forward-center Derrick Favors on Friday.

The team struck a four-year, $52 million deal with Clarkson, according to ESPN. Multiple outlets posted news of Favors, who previously played nine seasons in Utah, returning on a three-year, $30 million contract. Favors' contract reportedly will include a player option in the final season.

Clarkson, 28, averaged double-figure points in each of his six NBA seasons and has been a steady scorer, mostly used off the bench throughout his career. He was acquired by Utah, his third NBA home, in a trade last December with the Cleveland Cavaliers that shipped out guard Dante Exem.

Clarkson averaged 15.6 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting in 42 games after the Jazz acquired him, and he contributed 16.7 points per game in Utah's seven-game playoff defeat to the Denver Nuggets in the postseason -- despite Clarkson scoring a combined 50 points in a pair of early wins in the series.

For his career, Clarkson has averaged 14.8 points per game in 453 games (140 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cavaliers and Jazz. He was originally a second-round pick by the Washington Wizards in 2014, though he spent just one day with the organization before being dealt to L.A.

Favors, 29, spent last season with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he averaged nine points per game along with a team-best 9.8 rebounds in 51 games (49 starts).

The 6-foot-9 Favors has averaged 11.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game in his 10 NBA seasons. Originally picked by the then-New Jersey Nets with the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Favors was dealt to Utah during his rookie year.

Though he has never been an All-Star, Favors became a mainstay in his first Jazz stint, averaging more than 16 points in back-to-back seasons in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. A career 53 percent shooter, he sank a career-best 61.7 percent of his field-goal attempts last season with the Pelicans.

-Field Level Media/Reuters-

NBA: Celtics pull away from Jazz

Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter combined for all of Boston's scoring in a 15-5 burst to start the fourth quarter Wednesday night as the Celtics, on the second night of a back-to-back set, had enough depth and energy to outfinish the Utah Jazz, 114-103, in Salt Lake City.

Jayson Tatum had 33 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to pace the Celtics, who won three of four on their Western swing, losing only a two-point decision Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Donovan Mitchell poured in a game-high 37 points for the Jazz, who lost their fourth straight, all at home.

In the first meeting of the season between teams solidly entrenched in their respective playoff races, the Celtics and Jazz played on even terms for 35 1/2 minutes before Gordon Hayward buried a 3-pointer to give the visitors an 85-82 lead after three quarters.

Boston never trailed again.

Kanter opened the fourth period with two hoops, including the tip-in of a Brad Wanamaker miss, before Smart nailed three consecutive 3-pointers, sandwiching a pair of hoops by Utah's Jordan Clarkson, to help the Celtics take command.

When Kanter turned a Smart assist into a basket with 7:22 remaining in the game, the Celtics suddenly held a 100-87 advantage.

Utah got no closer than eight after that.

Tatum was the Celtics' driving force for the better part of three periods. He shot 13-for-20 overall and 3-for-5 on 3-point attempts to cap a remarkable trip on which he scored 28, 41, 36 and 33 points.

Jaylen Brown added 20 points, Smart finished with a game-high nine assists to complement 17 points, and Daniel Theis chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who were swept by the Jazz in the season series last year.

In his second return to Utah after playing his first seven seasons for the Jazz, Hayward contributed 12 points and five rebounds to the win.

The Celtics, who won 118-106 at Portland on Tuesday, outshot the Jazz 53.6 percent to 44.9 percent.

Mitchell's point total came on 15-of-32 shooting. He made just two of his 10 3-point attempts.

Mike Conley went for 15 points and Royce O'Neale 14 for Utah, which is now 1-4 on a six-game homestand that ends Friday against the Washington Wizards.

Jazz center Rudy Gobert grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to go with nine points.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Ingram’s 49 points lead Pelicans to wild OT win over Jazz

Brandon Ingram scored a career-high 49 points and won a shootout with Donovan Mitchell as the host New Orleans Pelicans ended the Utah Jazz's 10-game winning streak with a 138-132 overtime victory Thursday night.

Ingram made five free throws as the Pelicans outscored the Jazz, who lost for the second time in 17 games, 16-10 in overtime despite falling behind by five points midway through the period.

Former Jazz center Derrick Favors added 21 points and 11 rebounds as New Orleans won for the 10th time in 14 games. E'Twaun Moore scored 16 points, including a go-ahead layup in overtime, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 12 and Frank Jackson had 10.

Mitchell tied his career-high with 46 points, Bojan Bogdanovic scored 26, Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in overtime, Jordan Clarkson scored 15 and Joe Ingles had 12.

Favors started the overtime scoring by making one of two free throws before Gobert made two. Mitchell added a 3-pointer that gave the Jazz a 127-123 lead.

After Favors made a layup, Mitchell answered with a floater but he wouldn't score again. Favors made another layup before Bogdanovic made a 3-pointer for a 132-127 lead.

Ingram made one of three free throws, fed Favors for a dunk and made one of two free throws to cut the lead to one with 1:19 left as Favors went to the bench after committing his sixth foul.

Moore stole the ball from Mitchell and made a layup to give a New Orleans a 133-132 lead and the Jazz didn't score in the final 2:27.

Ingram hit a jumper with 0.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Pelicans a 122-121 lead.

The Jazz tried a lob near the basket and Pelicans rookie Jaxson Hayes was called for a foul on Gobert, who missed the first free throw but made the second to send the game into overtime.

Favors was returning from a two-game absence and Ingram returned from a one-game absence due to injuries.

--Field Level Media

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Mitchell, Bogdanovic come up big for Jazz in win over Magic

Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 30 points apiece to lead the Utah Jazz to a 109-102 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.

Joe Ingles added 16 points and 12 rebounds and Rudy Gobert recorded 12 points and 19 boards as Utah beat Orlando for the 14th time in the past 18 meetings. Royce O'Neale added 11 points for the Jazz, who have won three straight games and four of the past five.

D.J. Augustin scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Evan Fournier added 19 points for the Magic, who have lost four of their past five games. Markelle Fultz tallied 14 points, Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Michael Carter-Williams scored 10 points.

The Jazz shot 46.7 percent from the field, including 15 of 36 from 3-point range with Bogdanovic making six. Utah committed 14 turnovers but held a 58-41 rebounding edge.

Orlando connected on 45.2 percent from the field but was a porous 7 of 35 from behind the arc. The Magic committed just three turnovers.

The Jazz trailed by six with under four minutes left before rattling off nine straight points. Bogdanovic scored seven of the points as Utah took a 101-98 lead with 1:53 remaining.

Fournier knocked down a jumper eight seconds later to get Orlando within one before Mitchell made back-to-back shots to give the Jazz a 105-100 lead with 29.1 seconds to play.

Ingles made two free throws with 20.2 seconds left to increase the lead to seven and the Jazz closed it out.

Earlier, Utah connected on four 3-pointers during a 14-2 dash to open up a 74-56 advantage with 5:10 left in the third quarter.

The Jazz led, 82-65, before Orlando scored the final six points of the third quarter and the first six of the fourth to pull within 82-77 with 10:28 remaining.

The Magic later ran off 15 consecutive points to take a seven-point lead with 4:44 remaining.

Orlando moved ahead, 91-90, on a 3-pointer by Vucevic with 6:27 left. Augustin added two baskets and Vucevic finished the run with a layup to give the Magic a 97-90 lead.

Mitchell and Bogdanovic scored 13 points apiece as the Jazz held a 58-47 lead at the break.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Davis, LeBron carry Lakers past Jazz

Anthony Davis scored 26 points, and LeBron James added 20 points as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers got off to a fast start and held off the Utah Jazz, 121-96, on Wednesday.

The Lakers won a game for the second consecutive night, a back-to-back feat made even more impressive by the fact that they played at altitude in Denver on Tuesday and did it again at Salt Lake City.

The Lakers improved to 10-0 away from Staples Center. The do have a road defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers in their shared building.

James, who leads the NBA in assists, added 12 more to his season total. He played 29 minutes while Davis played 26 after they each saw 37 minutes of action at Denver.

Rajon Rondo contributed 14 points and 12 assists for Los Angeles.

Donovan Mitchell had 29 points, and Rudy Gobert added 13 points and 10 rebounds as the Jazz lost at home for just the second time in 10 games. Bojan Bogdanovic had 23 points for Utah.

The Lakers trailed by eight points early in the first quarter, but they refused to let the hole get any deeper. They turned the game around quickly to lead by as many as 10 in the opening quarter before pushing their margin to 65-47 at halftime.

Instead of retreating in the second half, the Lakers led by as many as 25 midway through the fourth quarter before coach Frank Vogel started to unload his bench with 4:44 remaining.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 14 for the Lakers, while Kyle Kuzma scored 13 in his return to Utah, where he played in college. The Lakers had a 46-40 rebounding advantage one night after setting a season high with 56 boards against the Nuggets.

The Jazz lost at home for the first time since Nov. 18 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a defeat they avenged two days later at Minneapolis.

The Lakers have won all three of their back-to-back sets of games this season. They won a home-road back-to-back against the Suns and Warriors Nov. 12-13 before taking down the Thunder and Grizzlies on consecutive nights on the road Nov. 22-23.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Greek Freak's 50 powers Bucks past Jazz

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points, collected 14 rebounds and dished out six assists to help the Milwaukee Bucks hold on for a 122-118 win over the visiting Utah Jazz on Monday night.

Wesley Matthews added 19 points and Eric Bledsoe chipped in 13 for the Bucks, who won for the 13th time in 14 games and avenged their only loss during that stretch.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 24 points and Donovan Mitchell added 20 for the Jazz.

Utah rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and cut Milwaukee's lead to 120-118 on Mitchell's layup with 43.8 seconds remaining. The Jazz had a chance to tie, but Brook Lopez blocked another layup attempt from Mitchell with 4.4 seconds left. Pat Connaughton hit a pair of free throws to seal the victory.

Utah had 18 assists on 20 made first-half baskets.

Bogdanovic led the way, scoring 11 points in the second quarter. He helped the Jazz lead by as many as 13 points before halftime. His final basket of the quarter gave Utah a 57-45 advantage.

The Bucks rallied in the third quarter behind hot shooting from Antetokounmpo. He scored four baskets and assisted on another to fuel a 15-2 run. The reigning NBA MVP punctuated the rally with a pair of free throws to put ahead Milwaukee, 78-77.

Antetokounmpo then sparked a 12-0 run to give the Bucks a 92-83 advantage early in the fourth quarter. He made a pair of baskets and assisted two others.

Anteokounmpo made his presence felt all over the floor during the third quarter, when he totaled 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. His effort helped the Bucks score 42 points that quarter.

source: news.abs-cbn.com