Utah
3 challenges go against Utah in final minute of loss to 76ers, but it shows progress
SALT LAKE CITY — Jordan Clarkson’s foot was in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
Philadelphia forward Paul George had frantically grabbed an offensive rebound with the shot clock winding down and turned to shoot a desperation fadeaway. In the process, he clipped Clarkson and that sent him tumbling down.
Foul.
Jazz coach Will Hardy quickly challenged the play, but after review, the call stood. That was one of three reviews in the closing minute that went Philadelphia’s way as the 76ers escaped Utah with a 114-111 victory Saturday at the Delta Center.
Was that deflating?
“Only now that you bring it up,” Hardy quipped when asked. “The challenge is there for the reasons that are obvious. They were right on both theirs and we weren’t on ours. But, yeah, I wasn’t sad till now.”
(Sorry about that, Will.)
In fact, he left the game feeling quite good about his team’s progress. Over the last 10 games, the Jazz have had a top-10 offense in the NBA and are now on a five-game run where the team has played clutch minutes (albeit, Utah is 2-3 in that stretch).
Saturday was yet another example of an improving team. The Jazz had 27 assists, had three players reach 20 or more points, and were within one possession for the entire final five minutes, save for four seconds.
All that against a team that has Joel Embiid (32 points), Tyrese Maxey (32 points and six assists) and Paul George (13 points) playing together. Those three combined for 21 points in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t think anybody should walk away from this game discouraged at all,” Hardy said. “Losing hurts. Losing is not fun. But there’s a lot of really good stuff happening on our team right now; the cohesion of the group on both sides of the ball has grown a lot in the last couple of weeks.”
One issue, though, is masking some of that progress, and that’s turnovers. The Jazz had 22 giveaways — including 15 live-ball turnovers — leading to 22 points.
“You can go look at the list — it’s everybody,” Hardy said. “We’re not doing a good enough job of seeing that shift defender. We’re dribbling into a secondary defender too many times. We also just have some moments of poor ball security. The team knows that and we’ll face that reality, and we’ll continue to work at it.”
Because, otherwise, the Jazz have been playing some good basketball. They lost at the buzzer on Thursday, lost in the final seconds on Saturday and took Cleveland down to the final minutes earlier in the week.
Moral victory? Sure. Regardless, it’s a night-and-day difference from what the Jazz were like at the beginning of the season.
“We’ve stuck together, even though it hasn’t been the best year,” said Lauri Markkanen, who led the Jazz with 23 points and hit a late, deep 3-pointer to keep some hope alive. “We didn’t close out tonight, or in Portland, or even the Cavs game, but we were right there.”
If anything, that’s been the hallmark of Hardy’s Jazz teams. The Utah front office has yet to give him a team that can truly compete. Yet, in his first two seasons, his teams exceeded expectations — even to the chagrin of some Jazz fans (and maybe some management, too) — and things are starting to trend in that direction again.
And it’s coming via veterans and youngsters.
In the last five games, Markkanen has scored over 20 points each time and Collin Sexton is averaging 22.2 points and 7.2 assists. On Saturday, Brice Sensabaugh showed more patience reading the floor, leading to 20 points and two assists; and rookie forward Cody Williams had some bright spots attacking the rim.
“They have a really talented team with some incredibly high-level players that made some big-time plays,” Hardy said. “But this is a night where I walk out feeling good about the progress of our group.”
The fact that challenges were even needed during the final minute is evidence enough of that.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Utah
Golden Knights vs. Mammoth Game 1 prediction: NHL odds, picks, best bets for Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Utah Mammoth is going to be a trendy underdog pick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Not only does Utah have the novelty of this being its first-ever appearance in the postseason going for it, but the Mammoth tick plenty of other boxes that punters look for in a dark horse. They’re fast, dynamic, and create plenty of quality scoring chances.
The only problem is that they are running into the Vegas Golden Knights, arguably the best defensive team in the Western Conference, in Round 1.
Vegas is a -170 favorite to win the series, and it is -152 to win Game 1 on Sunday night.
Mammoth vs. Golden Knights odds, prediction
The Golden Knights had a weird season. Vegas started hot, took its foot off the pedal, and struggled to regain its form down the stretch. That led to a surprising coaching switch late in the campaign, but the move paid immediate dividends as John Tortorella led the Knights to a 7-0-1 record in his eight games behind the bench.
It should be noted that Tortorella benefited from an easy schedule since taking over in Vegas, but it’s hard to deny that the team looks sparked with a new voice in their ear.
What’s especially encouraging for Vegas is that its most glaring weakness, the play of goaltender Carter Hart, has started to trend in the right direction at the exact right time.
And Vegas is so good in its own zone that Hart doesn’t need to stand on his head to get the team over the line against Utah. If he’s just average, the Knights will stand a chance, especially since Utah’s goaltending situation is just as much of a question mark.
Betting on the NHL?
Outside of Vejmelka outplaying Hart, the Mammoth will also need to get this series on their terms if they want to pull the upset. Utah grades out as a slightly above-average defensive outfit, but its strength is up front with dynamic playmakers like Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller, plus sharp-shooter Dylan Guenther.
For those stars to have an impact, the Mammoth will need to get Vegas to open up and engage in a back-and-forth style. I just don’t see that happening with a team that was so disciplined in its own zone all season. The Knights led the NHL in expected goals against and high-danger chances conceded at 5-on-5, which shouldn’t be a shocker given the personnel in Sin City.
Not only does Vegas boast a deep blueline, but forwards Mitch Marner and Mark Stone are regarded as two of the best defensive minds in the entire sport.
Perhaps Utah can blitz Vegas and pull the upset, but I’d need a bigger number to go against the experienced, defensively savvy Knights in a best-of-7.
And if you’re looking for a play with more upside, have a good look at Vegas to pull off the sweep at 12/1.
The Play: Vegas moneyline (-152) | Vegas to sweep the series (12/1, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
KANOSH, Utah — The United States Geological Survey recorded multiple earthquakes near Kanosh Sunday morning, each of them having an average magnitude of 3.0.
The first earthquake, magnitude 3.0, was detected just after 12:30 a.m., with the epicenter located half a mile south of Kanarraville.
The second quake, magnitude 3.2, was detected around 5:45 a.m., with the epicenter nearly five miles south-southwest of Kanosh. This was followed by two more quakes in the same area, a magnitude 2.5 quake coming in around 6:35 a.m., followed by a third around 7:45 a.m, which measured at magnitude 3.3.
This has since been followed by another quake, measuring at magnitude 3.7, being detected around 8:45 a.m. The geographic location in the USGS report places the epicenter approximately over two miles south of the Dry Wash Trail, about six miles south-southwest of Kanosh.
FOX 13 News previously spoke with researchers at University of Utah, who said that earthquake swarms are relatively common. A study published in 2023 posits that swarms may be triggered by geothermal activity. The findings came after a series of seismic swarms were detected in central Utah, within the vicinity of three geothermal power plants.
The study also says that the swarms fall into a different category than aftershocks that typically follow large quakes, such as the magnitude 5.7 earthquake that hit the Wasatch Fault back in 2020.
Utah
Embattled Utah Rep. Trevor Lee loses county GOP convention — but wins enough support to make primary
Earlier in the week, House Speaker Mike Schultz said lawmakers asked the attorney general to investigate allegations of fraud and bribery against Lee.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, running for reelection, addresses delegates during the Davis County Republican Party nominating convention at Syracuse High School on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
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