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How to tell the difference between real wins and fake wins

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How to tell the difference between real wins and fake wins


This article was first published as the Jazz Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Friday.

There are some wins for NBA teams that are real, and some that are fake.

Of course, they all count the same in the official standings. But, when it comes to games that can tell you something about a team, that can show you what they’re truly capable of, not all wins are equal.

What makes a win real or fake can vary depending on the team. For the Utah Jazz, let’s take a look at their win over the Philadelphia 76ers on their most recent road trip.

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The Jazz were in Philly on the second night of a back-to-back against the second-best Eastern Conference team and they won. At face value, that might seem like a good win, but it was fake because it wasn’t even against the real Sixers. With reigning MVP Joel Embiid sidelined, along with two other Philadelphia starters (Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton), the Jazz really only beat Tyrese Maxey and Co.

On the other hand, the two Jazz wins that followed that game were very real.

The Jazz next visited Milwaukee, where they beat the Bucks. You might be thinking that since the Bucks didn’t have Damian Lillard in the lineup that it might lean toward a fake win. Au contraire. The Bucks still have one of the best players in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo and his championship-tested right-hand man Khris Middleton.

The Bucks, even without Lillard, are not an easy out. Real win.

Then the Jazz returned home to face the fully healthy Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray-led reigning champion Denver Nuggets in the Delta Center, and the Jazz seemingly made easy work of beating them.

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That is a very, very good, well-coached, highly skilled basketball team, and the Jazz outplayed them.

So what do these two, very real wins say about the Jazz? It punctuates that the Jazz are finding some things that really work. They are learning how to play together in a way that can actually work against the best teams in the league. It means that the Jazz might not be who we thought they were through the first 20 games of the season. In fact, they might be a lot better.

New with the Jazz

Quote of the week

“Trying to figure out rotations, lineups, plays, chemistry, how to play off of each other — that takes time. You can’t just throw guys into the pot and make soup. You’ve got to add different stuff and change the recipe a little bit until it tastes right.” — Kelly Olynyk

From the archives

Extra points

  • Will Hardy’s lineup and rotation experimentation is paying off for the Jazz (Deseret News)
  • Bryon Russell and Greg Ostertag, back in Utah, reminisce about Finals trips (Deseret News)
  • How Jazz fans can catch up with Carlos Boozer this month (Deseret News)
  • Gordon Hayward remembers Jerry Sloan’s final game (KSL.com)

Around the league

Up next: 2023-24 regular season

  • Jan. 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Utah Jazz vs. Toronto Raptors | KJZZ
  • Jan. 13 | 7:30 p.m. | Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers | KJZZ
  • Jan. 15 | 7 p.m. | Utah Jazz vs. Indiana Pacers | KJZZ
  • Jan. 17 | 7 p.m. | Utah Jazz vs. Golden State Warriors | KJZZ
  • Jan. 18 | 7 p.m. | Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | KJZZ

All times MST.





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Utah

How Big Was Jordan Clarkson’s Impact on Utah?

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How Big Was Jordan Clarkson’s Impact on Utah?


SALT LAKE CITY–Who knew that the number double zero would become so iconic in the state of Utah? Jordan Clarkson recently made his return home to Salt Lake City in a game against the Utah Jazz on March 11, 2026–His first time back at the Delta Center since being bought out by the team. 

“That’s a home for me,” Clarkson told the New York Post before his homecoming game at the Delta Center. “I loved the organization. I love the coaching staff. Yeah, I love the city. All I had was love there.”



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Utah mom accused of kidnapping autistic son’s 11-year-old bully until he apologized

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Utah mom accused of kidnapping autistic son’s 11-year-old bully until he apologized


A Utah mother allegedly kidnapped her autistic son’s bully and kept him at her home until he apologized — then threatened to have her husband beat him up.

Shannon Tufuga, 40, was slapped with kidnapping charges Monday after she rolled up on her son’s 11-year-old bully while he was riding his bike around his neighborhood in early September, according to charging documents obtained by KSL.com.

Tufuga was “driving around looking” specifically for the boy, whom she confronted and corralled into her car without his parents’ knowledge, the documents alleged.

Shannon Tufuga allegedly kidnapped her son’s bully and kept him at her home until he apologized — then threatened to have her husband beat him up. Facebook

She allegedly hightailed it back to her home in Provo, Utah, and kept the boy there until he apologized to her son.

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The boy readily apologized, but even then, the vengeful mom wouldn’t let up, according to the police report. She “threatened to have her husband beat up” the accused bully and sneered that he “was lucky she did not run over his bike,” the documents alleged.

Tufuga eventually drove the shell-shocked boy back to his home.

The alleged kidnapping caused the boy “serious emotional distress” over the following months, and he now suffers from “high anxiety and has had to alter his daily routines significantly,” according to the charging documents.


Tufuga was
Tufuga was “driving around looking” specifically for the boy, whom she confronted and corralled into her car without his parents’ knowledge, the documents alleged. Facebook

Tufuga was charged with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse on Monday, both as second-degree felonies. The charges were lowered from first-degree felonies after the Utah County Attorney’s Office determined that a “reduction would be in the interests of justice.”

Tufuga’s son is on the autism spectrum, according to a post on her Facebook.

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Jazz Injury Report Rules Out 7 Players vs. Raptors

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Jazz Injury Report Rules Out 7 Players vs. Raptors


The Utah Jazz are set to face off against the Toronto Raptors to kick off their new week for their second of two meetings across this season, where the Jazz in particular have ruled out a total of seven names on their injury report.

Here’s what the injury landscape looks like for the Jazz and Raptors rolling into the night:

Utah Jazz Injury Report

OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)

OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)

OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)

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OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)

OUT – Blake Hinson (two-way)

QUESTIONABLE – Cody Williams (shoulder)

It’s much of the same from what the Jazz have been dealing with across the past couple of weeks.

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Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen still remain out with their minor injuries that they’ve suffered past the All-Star break, and Walker Kessler, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic remain out for the year with their respective season-ending injuries.

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However, the two names that stick out on this injury report against the Raptors in particular are their two first round picks from the 2024 NBA Draft; Isaiah Collier who’s out with a hamstring injury, while Cody Williams is the latest to be among those listed with a shoulder issue.

For Collier, it’s set to be a third-straight game that he’s been out due to what’s been labeled hamstring soreness, and thus leave the Jazz without both their starting and second-string point guard for the night.

That could lead to either two-way signee Elijah Harkless getting a starting nod for a second straight game following his elevation against the Philadelphia 76ers, or that spot could go to 10-day signing Kennedy Chandler, who played 35 minutes in that same game for a career-high 19 points in his team debut.

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Mar 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

As for Williams, he’s been downgraded to questionable for the action due to shoulder soreness; something that could leave him still able to go before tip-off, but remains to be seen based on how he feels before gametime.

The second-year forward has been on a hot streak as of late. In his past five games, he’s averaged an impressive 19.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, shooting 50.0% from the field throughout.

If Williams is out of the mix, it’ll leave their frontcourt a bit more shorthanded from what they’ve been used to across the past couple of weeks, and might lead to even more minutes for guys like 10-day signee Bez Mbeng and two-way big man Oscar Tshiebwe to fill those minutes.

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Toronto Raptors Injury Report

OUT – Immanuel Quickley (foot)

OUT – Jakob Poeltl (rest)

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QUESTIONABLE – Collin Murray-Boyles (illness)

When it comes to the Raptors, they’ll be without a couple of guys on their roster, Immanuel Quickley who’s slated to miss out due to a foot injury, while Jakob Poeltl won’t be playing for Toronto’s second leg of a back-to-back following their previous battle against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

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Collin Murray-Boyles, on the other hand, has been upgraded to questionable against the Jazz with an illness after previously being out against the Nuggets over the weekend.

Tip-off between the Jazz and Raptors lands at 9 p.m. MT in the Delta Center, where Toronto will have their chance at a 2-0 series sweep over Utah depending on the results.



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