Associated Press

Utah Jazz (1-7, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (4-5, 12th in the Western Conference)

San Antonio; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes San Antonio and Utah will play on Saturday.

San Antonio finished 22-60 overall, 14-37 in Western Conference play and 12-29 at home during the 2023-24 season. The Spurs averaged 112.1 points per game last season, 51.4 in the paint, 15.4 off of turnovers and 15.6 on fast breaks.

Utah went 31-51 overall and 16-36 in Western Conference play during the 2023-24 season. The Jazz averaged 115.7 points per game last season, 18.8 from the free-throw line and 38.7 from deep.

INJURIES: Spurs: Devin Vassell: out (foot), Tre Jones: out (ankle), Jeremy Sochan: out (thumb).

Jazz: Taylor Hendricks: out for season (fibula).

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

Two American truck drivers will embark on a cross-country journey in honor of a special Yuletide delivery.

Alaska natives John Schank and Fred Austin will bring holiday cheer to Washington, D.C., by transporting the annual Christmas Tree to the U.S. Capitol.

This year’s tree was selected from Alaska’s National Forests, traveling 4,000 miles from Tongass National Forest near Wrangell, making 11 stops along the way, so Americans can get a chance to see the People’s Tree.

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The tree will be carried by Lynden Transport in an 80-foot flatbed truck covered with protective wrapping and a plexiglass window at the rear.

The drive could take roughly three weeks to complete.

“My favorite part of this trip is the show-and-tell time, not the driving time,” Austin told Fox News Digital.

Austin of North Pole, Alaska, has been driving with Lynden Transport for 50 years and says it’s “pretty cool” to be transporting the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

Schank said this will be his second time transporting the tree.

“I moved it back in 2015. I came out to Chugiak National Forest near Seward, Alaska, and I’m looking forward to doing it here,” he told Fox News Digital.

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Between the men, they’ve safely driven for a combined estimate of 100 years stretching around 10 million miles.

Schank has also been driving big rigs for 50 years and said the route that he and Austin are taking is all mapped out.

The Capitol Christmas Tree will be carried by Lynden Transport, an Anchorage, Alaska-based trucking company. The tree will travel on an 80-foot flatbed truck covered with protective wrapping and a plexiglass window at the rear. (U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree)

“The trailer is 80 feet long and the tree just barely fits inside of it … We will take care of the precious cargo we’ve got, and we will drive accordingly,” said Schank.

Banners adorn the 74-foot tree, giving Americans a chance to leave their name and a message with a marker at selected stops. 

“You can actually look in and see the tree … and when we’re stopped, they turn the Christmas tree lights on,” said Austin.

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“John and Fred are a dynamic duo of driving experience, leadership, and positive energy, which will make the cross-country trip memorable,” Paul Grimaldi, president of Lynden Transport, said in a statement.

This year’s tree was selected from Alaska’s national forests, traveling 4,000 miles from Tongass National Forest near Wrangell. (U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree)

The 54-year tradition of the Capitol Christmas Tree began when Speaker of the House John McCormack, D-Mass., placed a live Christmas tree on the Capitol lawn, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“This tree lived three years before succumbing to wind and root damage. In 1970, the Capitol Architect asked the U.S. Forest Service to provide a Christmas tree,” a news release said.

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Each year a different national forest is selected to provide “the People’s Tree” in an annual campaign to celebrate national forests.

The Capitol Christmas Tree will make 11 stops on the way to Washington, D.C. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The tree will be making stops in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio and Maryland before arrival at the Capitol’s West Lawn.

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Americans can track the People’s Tree at kenworth.com/tree-tracker/.

Wyoming Whiskey has announced the launch of Queen of the Tetons, a limited edition bourbon dedicated to the legendary Grizzly 399, the bear who was tragically killed in a car accident near Grand Teton National Park on October 22, 2024.

An icon of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, Grizzly 399 attracted countless tourists and photographers eager to catch a glimpse of the 7-foot, 400-pound matriarch. At 28 years old, she was the region’s oldest known reproducing female grizzly, spending much of her life near the Snake River and raising 18 known cubs.

In conjunction with the launch of Wyoming Whiskey’s Queen of the Tetons, the brand will be donating $20,000 to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation to protect and preserve the wild habitats that bears like Grizzly 399 call home. The funds will support grizzly bear education, conservation, and research programs in Grand Teton National Park.

Wyoming Whiskey Queen of the Tetons is bottled at 49.5% ABV (99 proof) and is described as having aromas of “honey and ripe field berries, layered with a gentle dusting of cinnamon spice.” The palate reveals flavors of “white chocolate mocha, with notes of red fruit and rich brown sugar.” The finish exhibits “lingering hints of candied ginger and soft vanilla.”

Queen of the Tetons – which features an image of Grizzly 399 shot by renowned nature photographer Thomas Mangelsen – is limited to fewer than 720 bottles. It’s available exclusively at Wyoming Whiskey’s Jackson Barrel House in Jackson, WY, the Wyoming Whiskey Shop in Kirby, WY, and select retailers across the state of Wyoming for a suggested retail price of $84.99.

To continue to support the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, and in memory of Grizzly 399, the 399th bottle of this limited release will be auctioned off to benefit the foundation. To stay up to date on the auction, sign up for the newsletter on the Wyoming Whiskey website.

Source: Wyoming Whiskey.