Utah
Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings recap and final score
It’s now two nights in a row that De’Aaron Fox has put up big time numbers and he did it two nights in a row. Tonight Fox helped light the beam by beating the Utah Jazz 121-117.
It’s a pretty remarkable win for the Kings who didn’t have Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, or Malik Monk. In the fourth quarter the Jazz were up by 10 and the Kings were able to claw their way back and get a win. It took all of the 49 points from Fox to get the win. He would have had 50+ but he actually missed two free throws late that gave the Jazz some life late in the game.
The Kings have to be excited that they could eke out this win on the back end of a back-to-back. Utah also has to be happy to have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Utah has to consider the future with every game. It may seem like a lot but Utah’s 3 wins currently has them off pace for a top-three pick. They have to worry about development while also solidifying their place at the top of the lottery.
As far as development, we’re seeing players show their chops.
Keyonte George was great offensively in this one. He was 6/10 from the field, 2/4 from three and 5/5 from the free throw line. He ends the game with 19 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds. George is now putting in consistently good shooting nights and is making great decisions. He’s playing a little more off ball and it’s exciting for a couple reasons. The first is that it’s working, the second is that it solidifies his role in the future. If Utah does this right, they will get a cornerstone player at the wing. Key can fit perfectly as a scorer next to a superstar.
The other player that is shining is Kyle Filipowski who is making some real waves. Filipowski had a monster dunk tonight driving from the three-point line.
He also had some real moments of toughness where he showed his awesome potential. It’s clear that the game is slowing down for Filipowski more and more. Each night he seems more and more like an NBA rotation player. If he can consistently keep up this level of play with efficient shooting, he may be the steal of the draft for Utah.
Utah
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.
Utah
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.
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.
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Utah
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).
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