Utah

Thunder beat Jazz despite late-game challenge blunder

Published

2 years ago

January 19, 2024

Thunder beat Jazz despite late-game challenge blunder

When the officials blew their whistle with 12.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter of a tight game between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night, signaling that the ball had gone out of bounds, there was confusion on the faces of the officials.

Whose ball was it?

Collin Sexton had driven into the paint, drawn two defenders and passed to his left to a cutting Walker Kessler.

It was a great play. Unfortunately, Chet Holmgren bailed out on Sexton once he saw what was developing and blocked Kessler’s shot.

Once the ball was loose, it landed in the middle of a cacophony of hands and bodies, and by the time it popped out and sailed out of bounds, the officials weren’t sure who touched it last.

Due to the confusion, they called a jump ball.

Jazz coach Will Hardy looked down the bench at George Rodman, the member of his staff in charge of determining whether a challenge is worthwhile.

Rodman believed it was off the Thunder, but Hardy saw that the Jazz only had one timeout left and then looked at Kessler.

“George had decent confidence in it, but I’ve seen George way more adamant with me to challenge than that play,” Hardy said.

“In the moment with Walker on the court, I just looked at Walk and said, ‘Win the jump.’ I had faith that he would win it.”

But to most everyone’s surprise, in the final seconds before play resumed, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault signaled for a timeout and a challenge.

“Their own guys were saying, ‘No, no, no don’t challenge it,’” Kessler said. “I think they knew it was not their ball.”

Apparently, not everyone knew because Daigneault was willing to take the risk. Although there was a small chance that on replay the officials still wouldn’t be able to determine who last touched the ball, which would result in an unsuccessful challenge and the Thunder losing a timeout, any successful determination would mean that the Thunder would keep their timeout.

But if the determination was that it was in fact Jazz ball, the Jazz would have possession and a chance to cut the lead to just a single point. And that’s exactly what happened.

“After review, the replay-center official overturns the call on the floor from a jump ball to Utah possession,” official James Williams said.

“Because the call on the floor was changed, the challenge by Oklahoma City is successful. They maintain their timeout and they still have a challenge remaining. Utah ball, 12.3 on the game clock.”

On the ensuing possession, had the Jazz been able to hit a 3-pointer, this could be a completely different story — one about a massive blunder of a challenge that changed the tide of a game for the Thunder when it seemed like they had the game in hand.

But after the challenge, OKC was very lucky that 39.3% 3-point shooter Simone Fontecchio missed a wide open look.

“If you had shown me a snapshot of the look that Simo got I would have signed up for that,” Hardy said.

“(The Thunder) kind of blew up the initial part of the action. Collin threw the ball in quick to Jordan (Clarkson), but Jordan had great recognition of the situation and Simo sprang into space and he’s a good shooter and he got a good look.”

But Fontecchio missed.

Clarkson got the rebound and missed a mid-range bank shot, but by that time it was over. Holmgren hit a free throw on the other end and then time expired.

The Utah Jazz’s six-game win streak was ended with a 134-129 loss to the Thunder.

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Utah

Man arrested for DUI after rear-ending Utah County deputy

Published

11 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested for DUI after rear-ending Utah County deputy

SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Police arrested a man whom they say is a “habitual offender” of driving under the influence after he crashed into a patrol vehicle.

A Utah County Sheriff’s deputy said he was patrolling in Springville early Sunday morning when a pickup truck driven by Richard Andrew Roberson, 38, collided with his vehicle. The deputy said he was stopped at a stop sign when Roberson hit him from behind.

When the deputy approached Roberson’s vehicle at a nearby gas station, he said the suspect showed signs of being intoxicated and also smelled like alcohol. He agreed to a field sobriety test, during which the officer said he showed multiple signs of being impaired.

Roberson was then arrested, and police say a urine test showed positive results for alcohol and marijuana, while a blood test is pending.

Police said Roberson’s driver’s license from California is currently suspended, and his vehicle was not insured.

While looking into Roberson’s background, police say they discovered that he’s had “nearly a dozen” DUI charges or convictions across four different states. His most recent convictions were in 2016 and 2017 in another state, but his most recent DUI charges were a pair of incidents in Utah within the past two months.

The arresting officer wrote that these factors indicate that Roberson “is a habitual offender and is a danger to the public.”

Roberson was arrested for felony DUI, driving on a suspended license, and operating a vehicle without insurance. A judge denied bail.

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Utah

Pair of Utah Jazz Veterans Emerging as Trade Candidates

Published

23 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Pair of Utah Jazz Veterans Emerging as Trade Candidates

With just under a week to go until the NBA trade deadline arrives, the Utah Jazz are beginning to see a few names around their roster pop up in the some rumors as potential movers in the coming days.

As of late, two veteran names have come to the forefront as the most likely names to be shipped off before the deadline: Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson.

NBA insider Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune recently broke down the current situations revolving around the Jazz’s deadline plans and what could be in store for both Love and Anderson, circling the pair as perhaps the two most likely players to be traded from Utah before February 5th.

“Fellow veterans Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love are less in the Jazz’s plans moving forward, though, and could be moved if the situation made sense…” Larsen wrote. “Anderson has played well when on the court for Utah, but has frequently found himself out of the rotation as the Jazz prioritize youth.”

“The 37-year-old Love, meanwhile, is an impending free agent making $4 million this season. He also has played relatively well in his infrequent minutes for the Jazz. These players aren’t expected to have significant league interest, but the Jazz could make a deal similar to that of the one they made last season, when they sent veterans Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills to the Clippers in exchange for P.J. Tucker’s contract and a second-round pick.”

Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson Could Be Jazz’s Most Likely Deadline Movers

Both Love and Anderson have been productive veterans when given a role in the rotation for the Jazz, albeit in spotty minutes throughout the first half of the season.

However, with both not a part of the Jazz’s long-term timeline, combined with their contractual status of becoming free agents as soon as this summer, the two become obvious players to watch as guys who could be sent on the move before that trade deadline buzzer sounds.

Dec 15, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Moussa Cisse (30) pokes the ball away from Utah Jazz forward Kyle Anderson (2) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The possible hurdle when dealing one or both of Love and Anderson for the Jazz centers on generating interest around them.

As Larsen notes, not a ton of teams are exactly chomping at the bit to land a 32-year-old veteran forward or a 37-year-old big on expiring deals. Especially with many teams looking to cut down on their total salary rather than adding to it, an addition of a $9.2 million salary on the books from Anderson might not be much of a coveted asset on the trade market.

But as proven from last season’s Patty Mills and Drew Eubanks deal with the LA Clippers, all it takes is one interested team to offer a worthwhile package to the Jazz worth accepting for that swap to come to fruition. Even if the incoming package is just a couple of future seconds, such a return could be worth pulling the trigger on.

Utah’s front office is certainly sniffing around for similar opportunities to strike upon this season, but that could be easier said than done.

Maybe Love and Anderson will be the next names to join the list of Jazz trade deadline movers since their rebuild kicked off, but Utah’s front office will have until February 5th to find the right package to do so.

Be sure to bookmark Utah Jazz On SI and follow @JazzOnSI on X to stay up-to-date on daily Utah Jazz news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

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Alex Jensen calls out Utah basketball’s selfishness following loss to Oklahoma State

Published

1 day ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Alex Jensen calls out Utah basketball’s selfishness following loss to Oklahoma State

Utah men’s basketball head coach Alex Jensen isn’t mincing words anymore.

A week after saying his team “quit” down the stretch of a double-digit loss to BYU, the Jensen delivered another brutally honest assessment of the Runnin’ Utes following their 81-69 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

“We were very selfish tonight,” Jensen said during his postgame press conference. “I thought we were getting better at that, but we were individually very selfish.”

Jensen’s group was neck-and-neck with the Cowboys for a majority of their Big 12 tilt at the Huntsman, until another late-game collapse costed Utah (9-12, 1-7 Big 12) another opportunity at earning a league win.

Despite a stretch of miscues, the Runnin’ Utes found themselves down by three with just over 6 minutes left in regulation. They struggled to find the bottom of the net the rest of the way, though, leaving the doors open for the Cowboys to grow their lead to double-digits inside the final 2 minutes.

Utah’s offense stalled, in part, because of a lack of ball movement. The Runnin’ Utes didn’t have an assist in the final 6:40 of regulation and finished the game with 11 dimes total, tied for their third-fewest in a game this season. Utah went 3-for-11 from the field after falling behind, 62-59, with 6 minutes left in regulation.

“Too many guys are in their own world,” Jensen said. “Too many guys started the game thinking about just scoring.”

“There’s other ways to be selfish: guys not talking, guys not being ready to shoot. Players win games, not coaches, and the players can’t do it unless they do it together.”

Utah looked less than prepared to defend Cowboys fifth-year guard Anthony Roy, a career 42.8% shooter from 3 who came into Saturday as one of the top outside shooters in the Big 12. The 6-foot-3 Oakland, California, native lived up to his reputation against Utah, as he knocked down five treys in a 26-point performance to lead Oklahoma State.

“We’re not a very good defensive team,” Jensen said. “A lot of times it’s not the scheme; you just got to guard the guy in front of you. I don’t have a solution for that right now.”

The defensive end of the floor continued to be a problem for Utah, which dropped to No. 234 in the country in adjusted efficiency on KenPom.com. Saturday was Utah’s 11th time allowing 80 or more points this season.

Perhaps the only positive Jensen took away from Saturday: the energy inside the Huntsman Center noticeably improved from where it was at the start of the season.

“The crowd was great tonight,” Jensen said. “I’m embarrassed because that was far from the University of Utah team that’s been here for decades. We might lose, but we’re not going to lose that way. So we’re going to work on it and find some different combinations.”

Terrence Brown led Utah with 20 points, marking his 15th such game of the season. Only Andrew Bogut (22) and Keith Van Horn (20) have more 20-point games in a single season in Utah history.

Keanu Dawes added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Don McHenry had 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting.

The Runnin’ Utes are back in action Wednesday for a home game against Arizona State (7 p.m. MT, CBS Sports Network).