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Warriors: Klay Thompson’s evolution is showing itself after win in Utah

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Warriors: Klay Thompson’s evolution is showing itself after win in Utah


SALT LAKE CITY — The 3-pointer wasn’t swishing, so Klay Thompson had to switch things up.

Against a mediocre Utah Jazz defense, Thompson settled in, went mostly off-ball and found his mid-range shot. Eight of his 11 makes were for 2 for an easy team-leading 26 points. To win, the Warriors didn’t need Thompson to go scorched Earth from beyond the arc; on two surgically-repaired legs in his 34th year, Thompson’s teammates need him to embrace what the game gives.

“Looked really good tonight. He looked composed. Not forcing anything,” Draymond Green said. “He looked like he was just at peace.”

This hasn’t been a peaceful year for Thompson. At its peaks, Thompson plays like he did in Utah — as an evolved version of himself that can lay low on nights he doesn’t have his legs, but keeps defenses preoccupied as a threat to pop off into a scoring frenzy on a dime. In its valleys, Thompson grows visibly upset that he’s not always the bonafide second option, the go-to closer and scorer he was before his two major injuries.

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His frustrations bubble to the surface when coach Steve Kerr benches him to close games while he struggles. He kicked chairs and threw objects after being benched late in a loss to Phoenix in November. He expressed a realization that he’d gone from “one of the best players” to a mere mortal in crunch time when rookie Brandin Podziemski and G League call-up Gui Santos got to close over him in a win over the Brooklyn Nets last week.

After not closing a win against the Suns on Saturday, Thompson sat fully dressed in his game-worn jersey with a towel over his head, staring daggers at the inside of his locker. Jerome Robinson gave him a shoulder-squeeze of encouragement on his way out and Thompson chucked his phone into his locker in frustration — not with Robinson, but with himself.

It may be deduced that Thompson’s frustrations signal a refusal to accept his new reality. But it only reveals Thompson’s outlier competitiveness as a double-edged sword.

“I feel like I’m handling it good. I understand there will be ups and downs,” Thompson said. “You want to be as consistent as possible, but at least I’m out there playing and healthy.”

Thompson’s future with the Warriors may depend on how he balances his passion with reason. Will he go searching for a contract that rewards the player he used to be and, perhaps, still thinks is somewhere in him? Or will he settle into something that suits how he’s matured?

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Despite his outward dismay, Thompson told The Ringer he knows he will have to accept a lesser role in the last part of his career. Thompson referenced his idol Ray Allen, a superstar who embraced a lesser role with the Miami Heat late in his 30s.

“Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Thompson told The Ringer. “I’ll be 35 next year. At 35, coming off the ACL and an Achilles (tear) and still have the ability to be a really good player. Maybe not the guy who scored 60 in three quarters and scored an NBA record 37 points in a quarter, but still a great threat out there.

“I’ve modeled my game after Reggie (Miller) and Ray and those guys were incredibly effective until their late 30s. So I plan on kind of following that mold.”

Green saw that quote floating around online and brought it up after the game in Utah.

“That’s great,” Green said. “You see young guys taking these next step they’re taking — the JKs, the BPs — you have to allow that growth and you have to be OK with that growth. Klay is growing into that. That’s an interesting position to be in. To see him settling in is big for this team. We need Klay. We need a very good Klay which allows us to make a run.”

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Thompson’s 17.1 points per game are the fewest he’s averaged since the 2012-13 season and his 37.3 percent from 3 is well below his 41.3% career average. All said, what might matter most is that Thompson has shown he can evolve off his past. That’s something Thompson and the Warriors can benefit from — as they saw in Utah.

“For him to be able to show up the way he did tonight speaks to his confidence in himself and competitive nature,” Steph Curry said. “He would say it’s not been easy all year, but life ain’t easy. Your work isn’t easy so you have to take the highs with the lows. Whatever peace of mind you can find to enjoy basketball, that’s where he thrives the most. We’re encouraging him to do that and that’s what he’s telling himself.”



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Utah Olympic leaders study Milan’s Games operations ahead of 2034 Winter Olympics – KSLTV.com

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Utah Olympic leaders study Milan’s Games operations ahead of 2034 Winter Olympics – KSLTV.com


MILAN, Italy — Inside Milan’s massive Central Station, where marble floors meet towering ceilings, and thousands of travelers pass through each hour, Utah’s Olympic planners are taking notes.

For the Utah Transit Authority, transportation is one of the most important pieces of the Olympic puzzle.

“It is beautiful to walk in here, but we all want a station where we can find our way easily and trains are on time. That’s the most important thing for a traveler,” said Jay Fox, executive director of UTA. “The Utah Transit Authority is going to be moving everybody in the Games.”

Fox said watching Milan’s system operate during the Olympics has been eye-opening.

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“As big as I thought it was, it’s even bigger,” he said.

Fox said UTA’s goal in 2034 is simple: He wants to make transportation feel effortless.

“We want transportation to be seamless so that you don’t ever think about where you’re going,” he said.

Officials are paying close attention to how Italy handles moving large crowds between urban venues and mountain sites.

In Cortina, where some events are held, bus transportation has presented challenges. Many buses are often packed, forcing people to wait for the next bus, which then is often full as well.

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“Having the opportunity to see mountain operations in Cortina is going to be very beneficial for us,” said Andres Colman, UTA’s chief operating officer. “I have a lot of questions, a lot of things I need to learn, to make sure we can do it seamlessly.”

Colman has personal ties to the Olympics. He joined UTA just before the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

“Oh, the Olympics is the reason I’m at UTA,” he said.

State lawmakers are also participating in the Observer Program, using the experience to better understand what Utah will need in the coming years.

“The Olympic Observer Program allows future host committees to observe what the current host committee is doing,” said Rep. Jon Hawkins from Utah County.

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Hawkins said seeing the preparations in person helps legislators understand how they can support the Games through policy decisions and funding.

“Especially around security,” he said. “We just need to make sure that we’re ready.”

Utah Olympic leaders say the Games of 2034 will look very different from those held in 2002.

“There are 40% additional events compared to ’02,” said Colin Hilton, CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. “A lot of things have changed over the years in terms of how the games operate at venues and a lot more hospitality spaces, a lot more, what we call fan engagement.”

Hilton said even those who worked on the 2002 Games are learning new approaches.

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“There’s always things to learn from those who are hosting a Games,” he said.

About 80 members of Utah’s 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Committee, as well as Utah state leaders, are in Italy as part of the Olympic Observer Program.

The Committee is also learning how Milan is managing venue operations, signage, and other critical systems during the Games.

Utah’s planning efforts for 2034 have already drawn praise from international officials.

Last week, members of the International Olympic Committee told Utah organizers to slow down because they may be moving too quickly since they are so far ahead of schedule.

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State and transit leaders say the feedback is encouraging, but they remain focused on improving.

“We are already very well prepared,” said Fox. “What we’re learning is really how to refine as opposed to how to do it.”



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Sacramento faces Utah on 14-game road skid

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Sacramento faces Utah on 14-game road skid


Sacramento Kings (12-43, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (17-37, 13th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Sacramento will try to break its 14-game road losing streak when the Kings play Utah.

The Jazz are 9-24 against Western Conference opponents. Utah has a 5-24 record in games decided by at least 10 points.

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The Kings are 8-28 against Western Conference opponents. Sacramento has a 3-4 record in one-possession games.

The Jazz’s 12.9 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.1 more made shots on average than the 12.8 per game the Kings give up. The Kings’ 46.5% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.5 percentage points lower than the Jazz have given up to their opponents (49.0%).

The teams play for the third time this season. The Jazz won the last matchup 128-119 on Nov. 29. Keyonte George scored 31 points to help lead the Jazz to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: George is averaging 23.8 points and 6.5 assists for the Jazz. Ace Bailey is averaging 15.7 points over the past 10 games.

DeMar DeRozan is averaging 18.7 points and 3.8 assists for the Kings. Malik Monk is averaging 1.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

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LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 2-8, averaging 113.3 points, 44.3 rebounds, 29.5 assists, 9.1 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.8 points per game.

Kings: 0-10, averaging 109.3 points, 43.0 rebounds, 23.7 assists, 7.0 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.1 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Keyonte George: day to day (ankle), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Kevin Love: day to day (rest).

Kings: Domantas Sabonis: day to day (back), Keegan Murray: out (ankle), De’Andre Hunter: out (eye), Zach LaVine: day to day (finger), Malik Monk: day to day (illness).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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Utah ICE arrests more than double in 2025 compared to previous year, most already in jail

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Utah ICE arrests more than double in 2025 compared to previous year, most already in jail


Federal immigration arrests in Utah more than doubled in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to data provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Deportation Data Project.

That data shows ICE made about 1,100 arrests statewide in 2024. But between January and October 2025 alone, arrests climbed to more than 3,000.

The data offers a closer look at who is being detained and how immigration enforcement is playing out across the state.

MORE | ICE

More than half — 55.5% — of those arrested had criminal convictions. About 27.4% had pending criminal charges but no convictions, while 17.2% had no criminal history and were detained solely for immigration violations.

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Of the more than 3,000 people detained in 2025, roughly 72%, or just over 2,100 individuals, have already been deported.

In most cases, ICE detention began in local jails or state prisons, where inmates were held temporarily before being transferred to federal custody and removed from the country.

The average time between arrest and deportation in Utah was 26 days, according to the data. The shortest wait was one day for someone who had previously been deported, while the longest detention lasted 247 days, just over eight months.

Most ICE arrests in Utah do not happen in street operations. Instead, they typically involve people who are already incarcerated and turned over to federal authorities rather than being released back to the street. These are typically executed through Utah 287g agreements with ICE, called detention requests.

State data provided by the Utah Department of Corrections shows Utah, as of Jan 30, has 277 individuals in custody who indicated they were here illegally. 229 have ICE detention requests, meaning they will be transferred to ICE custody upon completion of their sentence.

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According to the UDC, the daily incarceration rate is $156 and includes operational costs and medical costs. If all 277 illegal immigrant inmates currently in custody in the state served at least a one-year sentence, it would cost about $15.7 million in taxpayer dollars.

The ICE arrest data used in this report did not granularly break down what crimes arrested individuals were convicted of, and whether they were violent offences or not.

Of the 277 illegal immigrants in Utah’s jails and prisons, about 71% were convicted of 1st degree felonies, 22% were convicted of 2nd degree felonies, 6% were convicted of 3rd degree felonies, and less than 1% (2 people) were convicted of capital felonies.

According to new exclusive reporting out of CBS News, using data from the Department of Homeland Security, less than 14% of the illegal immigrants arrested by ICE nationwide had violent criminal offenses. The report states that nearly 60% of people arrested by ICE over the past year had criminal charges or convictions, but the majority of the criminal charges or convictions are not for violent crimes.

Here in Utah, among people already incarcerated in county jails, DUI offenses were the most common charge. For those in state prison, sexual abuse was the most frequent offense.

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2News reached out to both the Governor and Lt. Governor for comment on the cost to imprison illegal immigrants at state and local facilities, but did not hear back. We also reached out to Sen. Dan McKay, the chair of the Senate Revenue and Taxation committee, but he was not available for an interview.

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