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The Utah Jazz Might Win 30 Games By Mistake

Published

2 years ago

October 31, 2022

The Utah Jazz Might Win 30 Games By Mistake

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 26: Jarred Vanderbilt #8 of the Utah Jazz backs down the court docket towards … [+] the Houston Rockets through the first half of their sport on the Vivint Area October 26, 2022 in Salt Lake Metropolis Utah. NOTE TO USER: Consumer expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and utilizing this {photograph}, Consumer is consenting to the phrases and circumstances of the Getty Photos License Settlement. (Picture by Chris Gardner/Getty Photos)

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In idea, it isn’t a nasty factor. In apply, it would show to be.

At the beginning of this yr’s NBA preseason, I ruminated on the chance that even after a summer season wherein they gave away their two All-Stars in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell – together with others from their current aggressive groups reminiscent of Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale and Joe Ingles additionally transferring on – the Utah Jazz would possibly nonetheless be higher than anticipated. My concern was {that a} mixture of the remaining holdovers, the abilities that got here again the opposite method, their starvation to impress, and the truth that the Jazz of final yr would have been higher than final yr’s 49-33 common season document had been it not for some anomalously-terrible late-game execution, would lead to a crew that would and maybe needs to be tanking for the generational expertise of Victor Wembanyama would possibly considerably inadvertently win too many video games to choose excessive within the draft.

28 wins was the marginally arbitrary quantity that I arrived at, one designed to replicate being too unhealthy to compete but too good to choose on the very prime of the draft with out unbelievable luck. Something throughout the 25-40 win vary would have illustrated the purpose adequately. However what I didn’t count on is that already, solely seven video games into the season, they might have already got 5 of them.

As issues stand, the 5-2 Jazz are the provisional fourth seed within the Western Convention. The place as soon as it was assumed they could be fourth from the underside, they’re as a substitute fourth from the highest. And whereas historical past has loads of examples of groups that started off sizzling earlier than tumbling to the underside – see, for instance, the 6-2 begin of the 2020/21 Orlando Magic, earlier than they went 15-49 the remainder of the way in which – there may be little to counsel that this Jazz crew are going to fall off.

Their beginning 5 of Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Jarred Vanderbilt and Kelly Olynyk is one made of 5 good-to-very-good NBA gamers. Markkanen is continuous the breakout as an enormous small ahead that he started with the Cleveland Cavaliers final yr, whereas Vanderbilt continues his personal as a little-things possession-winning athletic massive that he emerged as with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Olynyk, in the meantime, is similar as he ever was – a flexible and expert offensive massive man who simply makes groups higher.

Behind them, Malik Beasley and Collin Sexton have each been 20 level per sport scorers within the NBA already of their younger careers, whereas Rudy Homosexual has transitioned from offensive star to defensive specialist in his later profession with aplomb. Rookie heart Walker Kessler has tailored to the tempo of the NBA sport extremely easily, Ochai Agbaji and Talen Horten-Tucker have had some good moments, and though smooth-shooting European rookie Simone Fontecchio has not had a lot of a look-in to date, he has not been wanted within the face of a lot decency in entrance of him.

This Jazz crew, then, is nice. However ought to they actually wish to be?

A lot as there’s a breadth and depth of high quality to this Jazz crew, as above, there are usually not any foundational skills for the longer term, barring huge developments from the Kessler varieties. The Jazz’s roster is replete with gamers who both are or might be good NBA skills, however not nice ones. Necessary as it’s to develop a profitable tradition throughout the franchise, only a few of those gamers determine to be part of the subsequent actually aggressive Utah Jazz crew.

It’s properly established that one of the best ways to repair that’s to lose closely for a yr or two, and draft excessive. Not each draft pool is price it, however one with Wembanyama and the impressively-complete Scoot Henderson is. This might be a very good yr for groups to tank, and a few already are. The Jazz, nevertheless, are usually not.

Certainly, they could run the danger of mirroring the 1999-00 “coronary heart and hustle” Orlando Magic. Having damaged up the Penny Hardaway/Horace Grant/Nick Anderson trio that had peaked at 33-17 the yr prior, the Magic had a twelve-deep (earlier than this was commonplace) rotation of first rate non-star veterans reminiscent of Darrell Armstrong, Ron Mercer and Bo Outlaw, alongside a couple of misfits and late bloomers who loved the largest minutes allocations of their profession reminiscent of John Amaechi and Monty Williams.

Coached by Doc Rivers, that scrappy crew put collectively a top-1o protection, and finally completed 41-41 towards all expectation, eradicated from a playoff berth solely on the common season’s last day. The one participant from that roster who would go on to be an NBA star was Ben Wallace, however he didn’t achieve this till after he had left Orlando the next summer season. Enjoyable at it was, it was not a season that finally a lot benefited the franchise within the medium and lengthy phrases, and an almost-full turnover of the roster over the next 12 months noticed

Admittedly, Orlando missed out solely on the poor 2000 Draft Class via their transitional yr, a draft wherein, by having the ability to draft Mike Miller fifth total with a decide already acquired by way of commerce, they managed to land top-of-the-line obtainable gamers anyway. However having gone as far as to commerce their two All-Stars for no All-Stars, Utah ought to in all probability go all in in a method that this present roster doesn’t present. There’s a time and a spot for the NBA’s center class, however you must have hit the underside first.

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NHL On Tap: Maple Leafs host Utah, seek 4th straight win without Matthews | NHL.com

Published

5 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

NHL On Tap: Maple Leafs host Utah, seek 4th straight win without Matthews | NHL.com

Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There is one game on the schedule for Sunday, which will be televised nationally in the United States and Canada.

Game of the day

Utah Hockey Club at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, NHLN, Utah16)

Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares have all stepped up for the Maple Leafs (12-6-2) in the absence of captain Auston Matthews and look to continue the trend against Utah (8-9-3) at Scotiabank Arena. Marner has 12 points (four goals, eight assists), Nylander nine points (four goals, five assists) and Tavares eight points (four goals, four assists) in the seven games without Matthews, who is out with an upper-body injury. Toronto has won three in a row and is 6-1-0 without Matthews, who skated prior to practice Saturday and said he could return from an upper-body injury this upcoming week. Marner leads Toronto with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 20 games and has points in six of the seven games Matthews has missed. Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Wall made 31 saves in a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday for his first shutout of the season and second in the NHL. Utah is playing the second game of a back-to-back for the first time in team history and will look to build on a 6-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Dylan Guenther had two goals and an assist, and Clayton Keller had three assists, helping Utah end a three-game losing streak. Goalie Jaxson Stauber could make his Utah debut after being recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Wednesday; the 25-year-old has not played an NHL game since Feb. 22, 2023, with the Chicago Blackhawks. No. 1 goalie Connor Ingram has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury.

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Iowa State football: Three stars in win for Cyclones over Utah in Big 12 action

Published

13 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Iowa State football: Three stars in win for Cyclones over Utah in Big 12 action

It takes a complete football team to win a championship. Iowa State is finding that out with each passing week.

Seemingly left for dead in the heated Big 12 Conference race, the Cyclones now find themselves one win away from competing for the league title following a thrilling 31-28 victory over Utah Saturday night.

Iowa State (9-2, 7-2) reached the nine-win mark before a bowl game for the first time in program history, and could end one of the longest droughts in NCAA history by reaching 10 wins. The Cyclones and Vanderbilt are the only remaining Power 5 programs to never reach 10 wins, as Indiana did earlier this year.

After taking a 24-13 lead on Utah midway through the third quarter, the Cyclones needed a rally, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 91 seconds to go. The defense forced a missed field goal to seal the win.

Here are three stars from Iowa State’s win over Utah:

Carson Hansen scored the game-winning touchdown for Iowa State vs. Utah Saturday night. / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Known for his power running, Carson Hansen showed off his arm on a key third-down trick play that led to his second rushing touchdown. Hansen, a sophomore, took a halfback pass and found Gabe Burkle for a 26-yard completion.

That put the ball at the Utah 3 and Hansen would plow his way into the end zone on the next play for the game-winning points. He finished the night with a team-high 57 yards on 14 carries to go along with the 26-yard pass while also catching two balls for another 28 yards.

At 6-2 and over 220 pounds, Hansen is the thunder to Abu Sama’s lightning. He now has 11 rushing touchdowns on the year to go along with 560 yards after rushing for just 67 last season as a freshman.

Anytime Rocco Becht needed to make a big play in the passing game, he looked in the direction of Jayden Higgins. And Higgins stepped up for his quarterback, who was not quite as sharp as he typically has been.

Higgins finished with nine receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown, surpassing 1,000 yards for the season. The 6-foot-4 senior out of South Miami became just the seventh different Cyclone to reach the number after missing out last year with 983 yards.

With at least two, and maybe more, games to go, Higgins sits sixth on the school’s single-season list for yards with 1,015. Hakeem Butler is first with 1,318. Higgins and teammate Jaylin Noel, who has 976 yards, are set to become the first Cyclone teammates to eclipse 1,000 yards in the same season in school history.

Higgins is also just two yards away from becoming just the 10th Iowa State receiver to reach 2,000 career yards, joining the likes of Allen Lazard, Xavier Hutchinson and Charlie Kolar, along with Noel.

Malik Verdon closes in on Utah’s quarterback Luke Bottari Saturday night in a 31-28 win for Iowa State. / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

It’s been a difficult season in regards to injuries on both sides of the ball for Iowa State. But the defense has really been hurt with Malik Verdon out.

Verdon, a junior, recorded a team-leading 12 tackles including a sack, as the Cyclones held Utah to just 99 yards of total offense through three quarters.

And while the Utes were able to finally put together sustained drives in the fourth, when they needed to make a play, Iowa State did. Verdon went out for a short time after appearing to reinjure his arm that has a cast due to a hairline fracture, but would return to the field later in the fourth.

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How to watch Iowa State football at Utah; TV channel, spread, game odds, prediction

Published

22 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

How to watch Iowa State football at Utah; TV channel, spread, game odds, prediction

The Iowa State football team has two weeks to solidify themselves and possibly land a spot in the Big 12 championship game in December.

Part one of the two-piece series starts Saturday night, as the Cyclones (8-2, 5-2) make a visit to Salt Lake City to play Utah (4-6, 1-6).

Sitting a game behind co-conference leaders BYU and Colorado, Iowa State is in position but on the outside looking in for the time being. They also have red-hot Arizona State to contend with, as the Sun Devils have quickly climbed the standings and sit tied with ISU.

Utah has dropped six straight since starting the season off 4-0 as preseason favorites to win the Big 12. Of those six losses, four have been decided by eight points or less. Last Saturday, though, they suffered a 25-point setback to Colorado.

Along with several tough losses, the Utes have been without star quarterback Cam Rising since the losing skid began. Rising is out for the season following multiple injuries, as Isaac Wilson – the brother of NFL QB Zack Wilson – has replaced him.

Iowa State and Utah have a bit of a history, playing each other five times between 1970-2010. The Cyclones won the first four meetings between the two while the Utes won the most recent, claiming a 68-27 victory. Utah was undefeated and ranked 10th in the country during that encounter.

The oddsmakers have the Cyclones set as a 6.5-point favorite. ESPN’s FPI puts them at just over 63 percent to win the game.

Here are the details on how to watch, stream and follow Iowa State’s game at Utah on Saturday night:

Iowa State at Utah TV Channel, Live Stream, Odds

Who: Iowa State at Utah in a Big 12 football game

When: 6:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, November 23

Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City, Utah

Live Stream: Stream Iowa State-Cincinnati live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)

TV Channel: FOX

Betting Odds: Iowa State is favored by 6.5 points. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportbook

Our Prediction: Iowa State 24, Utah 10

Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Iowa State on SI for live updates, in-game analysis and big-play highlights throughout Saturday’s matchup.

* Latest betting odds for Iowa State

* Matt Campbell talks up the Utah defense

* Cyclones right back into contention in wild, wild Big 12

*Three stars in Iowa State’s win over Cincinnati including Stevo Klotz

*Complete game recap of Iowa State’s win over Cincinnati

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