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Jazz Lottery Odds See Major Shift After Loss vs. Pelicans

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Jazz Lottery Odds See Major Shift After Loss vs. Pelicans


The Utah Jazz pulled out all the stops to get closer to their ultimate goal of a high lottery pick during Friday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans— and it turned out working in their favor.

After seeing six of their players on the injury report, three of them being regular starters in Lauri Markkanen (back), John Collins (hip), and Walker Kessler (rest), the Jazz fell to the Pelicans, 123-136 to drop to a 10-30 record on the regular season.

While a 10-30 record is far from optically appealing for competition purposes, Jazz fans are likely pleased to see how their lottery chances have shifted due to the loss.

According to Tankathon, the Jazz have jumped to top-three odds for this offseason’s draft lottery– effectively giving Utah a 52.1% chance at a top-four pick, and a 14.0% chance for the number one pick if the season were to end today.

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Obviously, the season still has a ways to go– over halfway to go to be precise. But, in terms of the long-term implications this may have for the Jazz, this team is on the right track for the ultimate goal of this year and the offseason: maximize their draft position for grade-A young talent.

The Jazz don’t have to totally bottom out to get premier odds for this offseason’s lottery. Following the 2019 NBA draft, the bottom three teams in the league standings were given tied odds of 14% for that coveted number one pick.

So far, Utah hasn’t stooped as low as the Washington Wizards or the Toronto Raptors have in the standings this season, but they don’t need to. All the Jazz need to do for strong odds at claiming that top spot is staying in those last three spots within the standings. That’s exactly what they’ve done as of Friday.

And looking ahead to their next month of games, the road doesn’t look easy. After the Jazz’s Monday rematch vs. the Pelicans, Utah won’t have another contest against a team above .500 until February 24th, when the Portland Trail Blazers travel to Salt Lake City.

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A gauntlet lies ahead on the schedule, making for a tough watch for Jazz players and fans alike looking for wins on the board. Yet, for those aspiring for a tank to be underway for the best chances of securing Cooper Flagg, this is exactly what you’re looking for.

Buckle up Jazz fans, things could get bumpy over the coming weeks. But remember, the light is always the darkest before dawn.

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Utah

Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president


Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.



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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods


BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.

After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.

Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.

“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.

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An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.

Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.





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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months


EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.

Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.

“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”

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When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.

An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.

In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.

Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.

Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.

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In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.

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.



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