Utah
Utah Jazz List Two Starters on Injury Report vs Miami Heat
The Utah Jazz could be without a pair of starters in their frontcourt for their upcoming matchup against the Miami Heat.
Here’s the full injury outlook for both the Jazz and Heat rolling into the matchup:
Utah Jazz Injury Report
OUT – G Elijah Harkless (G League)
OUT – C Walker Kessler (left shoulder; injury recovery)
OUT – C Kevin Love (left knee contusion)
OUT – F Georges Niang (left foot; fourth metatarsal stress reaction)
OUT – F John Tonje (G League)
OUT – C Oscar Tshiebwe (G League)
DOUBTFUL – C Jusuf Nurkic (illness)
OUT* – F Lauri Markkanen (return to competition reconditioning)
UPDATE: Lauri Markkanen has officially been downgraded from QUESTIONABLE to OUT vs. the Heat.
The two starters up in the air for the Jazz against Miami are their pairing of Markkanen and Nurkic, with Markkanen questionable to finally return from his extended injury/conditioning absence, while Nurkic is doubtful to play with an illness.
Markkanen has been out for the past six games of the Jazz’s season, mostly due to a lingering illness that reports seem to indicate is a genuine sickness, rather than simply a way to keep their star forward out due to big-picture tanking reasons.
If able to return to the lineup, Markkanen obviously becomes a huge addition offensively as a welcomed helping hand for third-year guard Keyonte George. In Markkanen’s 33 games this season, he’s averaged an impressive 27.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 48.3% from the field and 36.5% from three.
However, it seems as if that illness taking course around the locker room has now struck Nurkic as its latest victim, and could leave the Jazz without their typical starting center, who comes off an impressive two-game slate with back-to-back triple-doubles, being the only player in Utah’s history to have back-to-back triple-doubles since Pete Maravich in 1975.
In the event the Jazz are indeed without Nurkic in the middle, that’ll leave them without their starter and backup at the five, as Kevin Love remains inactive due to rest and will require head coach Will Hardy to get a bit more creative on how he wants to roll out his frontcourt. Expect Kyle Filipowski to be the potential starter in place of Nurkic if downgraded to out.
The Jazz will also be without their three two-way signees per usual, but if Nurkic is indeed downgraded, it might not be too shocking to see Oscar Tshiebwe elevated before game time in order to provide Utah with some extra frontcourt depth and some rebounding upside, if necessary.
Miami Heat Injury Report
QUESTIONABLE – G Norman Powell (back)
QUESTIONABLE – G Davion Mitchell (shoulder)
OUT – C Kel’el Ware (hamstring)
PROBABLE – G Pelle Larsson (finger)
For the Heat, a few names of note are in the mix, headlined by Norman Powell, who’s slated as questionable with a back injury, as is Davion Mitchell with a shoulder injury––both big pieces of Miami’s game plan offensively and defensively, respectively, and remain names to keep watch of before tip-off.
The Heat will also be without second-year center Kel’el Ware, who hasn’t played since January 19th with a hamstring injury, and could leave the task a bit easier for the Jazz while they’re likely without two big men of their own in Nurkic and Love.
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Utah
Vejmelka, Utah Shutout Golden Knights in Vegas | Utah Mammoth
“I just tried to help the team to get points as much as I can, and it’s a big team win tonight,” Vejmelka shared. “We need every point now. It’s a huge two points.”
After Vegas opened the game with five shots in the first 1:45, Captain Clayton Keller’s goal a minute later shifted momentum to the visitors. 3:18 after his first goal, Keller added his second of the game and doubled the Mammoth’s lead. Keller has found the scoresheet in six of the team’s last seven road games in March (3G, 5A).
“He was ready, his line played really good, especially in the first period,” Tourigny said of Keller. “I’m not saying they fade down after, I’m just saying they were more dynamic in the first. I think it was great to have that offensive production and like I said, three great goals in the first that give us a good lead.”
“Just being around the net,” Keller said of his goals. “Heck of a play by (John Marino) on one, and (a) fortunate bounce. I think when you’re around the net, (the) puck’s going to find you eventually. I think I’ve had a lot of chances lately and just bearing down and it’s good to see them go in.”
Two minutes after the Captain put Utah up 2-0, Jack McBain scored his eighth of the season and increased the Mammoth’s lead to 3-0. McBain has scored in two straight games and continued to bring a high level of physicality with a team-leading seven hits. Tourigny complimented McBain’s line with Barrett Hayton and Michael Carcone.
“I think that line is playing rock solid,” Tourigny shared. “I think it’s night after night. They grind, they compete, they play both sides of the puck. They make plays with the puck, but they make safe plays as well. Really like what they bring.”
The Mammoth picked up all four possible points on this two-game road trip and will continue to push for a post-season berth. However, it’s a quick turnaround as the team travels back to Salt Lake City to host the Anaheim Ducks Friday night.
“We know the schedule, so every game matters now,” Vejmelka said. “We have another big challenge tomorrow. We need to reset pretty quick and get ready for tomorrow.”
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- This marks Utah’s second straight shutout win at T-Mobile Arena, after earning a 6-0 victory in the second road matchup with Vegas in 2024-25.
- Mikhail Sergachev has now earned points in four of his last five games (1G, 3A).
- Keller’s two goals came over the opening 6:05 of regulation, marking the second-fastest two goals by any player from the start of a game in franchise history.
Utah
One more bad day and the Prop. 4 repeal misses the ballot
Utah’s Prop. 4 repeal is hanging by a thread. A steady drip of signature removals has the Republican-led effort to undo the state’s voter-approved anti-gerrymandering law on the edge of missing November’s ballot.
Utahns for Representative Government (UFRG) wants voters to repeal Prop. 4, the 2018 ballot initiative that created an independent redistricting commission and outlawed partisan gerrymandering. To qualify the repeal for the ballot, organizers had to collect signatures equal to 8% of active voters statewide and also reach that 8% target in 26 of Utah’s 29 Senate districts.
Utah also lets voters who signed a petition remove their signature within a specified window. Opponents of the repeal effort have been taking advantage of that window, contacting signers and urging them to rescind their signatures.
As of Thursday morning, updated totals show another 118 signatures removed in Senate District 15, shrinking the cushion to a paper-thin 114 above the threshold. One more day like this, and SD15 fails, taking the repeal’s ballot hopes with it.
Other districts are also eroding, but not quite as rapidly:
- SD12: 460 surplus signatures (12 removals today)
- SD17: 577 surplus signatures (33 removals today)
- SD10: 590 surplus signatures (6 removals today)
- SD8: 652 surplus signatures (8 removals today)
In 2018, the Count My Vote initiative, which sought to shift Utah’s elections from the caucus/convention system for nominating candidates to a direct primary election, initially submitted more than 132,000 signatures—enough to qualify the measure for the ballot. The initiative was knocked off the ballot after opponents peeled off just enough names in two Senate districts. The Utah Supreme Court later upheld the state’s removal process.
Voters have 45 days from when their name is posted online to pull their signature off a petition. In SD15 alone, nearly 3,400 names are still within that window—about 29 times the size of the district’s current 114-signature surplus.
Utah
Black Utah license plates will soon double in price
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Soon, there will be a new price for those trendy black license plates.
The price is increasing from $25 to $50 thanks to a new bill.
MORE | Gov. Cox signs 60 more bills of 2026 Leislative Session into law
Previously, when you would buy a plate, some of that money went to the Utah State Historical Society. Now, it’s going into three different funds.
- $5.50 into the Cultural and Community Engagement Foundation Fund
- $23 into the Transportation Investment Fund of 2005
- $21.50 into the Olympic and Paralympic Venues Grant Fund
There’s a reason why the plates are so popular.
“Looks cooler,” Carson Mac said.
Mac already has one and is getting a second one for his other car.
“Nobody else had them, and Utah’s were a little colorful, so I was like ‘eh nah,’” he said. “As soon as the black ones came out, I was like ‘yeah, I’m going to get that.’”
The plates came out in May 2023 and have been $25 since then, but the new bill changes that starting in January 2027.
“Why are they charging more for something that costs the exact same?” Mac asked. “If it’s something for Olympic venues, where’s our taxes going?”
Senator Chris Wilson sponsored the bill and wasn’t available for an interview.
However, Senate spokesperson Aundrea Peterson sent 2News the following statement:
“Utah is known for consistently delivering tax relief to citizens and families while planning for long-term growth. With growing transportation demands, a strong arts community and the 2034 Olympics on the horizon, we are making responsible investments in the foundation our state depends on. The black license plate is a voluntary user-based option that supports priorities without raising taxes. It’s a practical approach that keeps Utah moving forward.”
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