Utah
Utah Jazz vs Dallas Mavericks Preview: Game time, channel, injury report
The Utah Jazz is heading into 2024 with a little wind in their sails as they have won 4 out of the last 5 games. They will hope to continue the good play against the Dallas Mavericks to open the new year. The Mavericks are a have hit a bit of a rough patch in their last ten games as they have gone 4-6, but they are a very good team and a very dangerous team. Especially with do-it-all superstar Luka Doncic leading the way. For whatever reason, the Jazz seem to have an extra amount of trouble trying to contain Doncic whenever these two teams match up as he burned the Jazz for a 40-point triple double in the first half alone about a month ago. Utah is playing much better now, and it will be interesting to see if they can make it more a game this time around.
Dallas has been on the road a lot in the last few weeks and will surely be looking forward to getting back home to start a 7 game homestand on Wednesday. But starting the year off right with a win in Utah would be a nice way to end their recent struggles on a positive note. Dallas comes into this game 19-14 and are in 6th place in the Western Conference. They got a boost in their last game against Golden State after Doncic returned from a one game absence to lead them to victory. The Mavs are only 3 games back from the #3 seed and if they can remain relatively healthy then they should be in prime position to make a run in the next month or two. Dallas will need great play from everyone as they will be without the services of Kyrie Irving(heel), Maxi Kleber(toe) and Seth Curry(illness).
Utah comes into this game looking to continue their climb up the Western Conference standings. After an impressive win against a good Miami Heat team, the Jazz have a record of 14-19, and are 4 games back of the final play in spot. A win against Dallas would go a long way in building the confidence of this team considering they have struggled against the good teams in the west this year. If the Jazz are going to make any New Year resolutions it would be to start playing better defense and Dallas with Luka Doncic is a great place to start. The key for Utah in this game will be to limit Doncic and to limit turnovers, the Mavs are 7th in the league on points off turnovers.
This will be a hard-fought game. Tough game for the Mavericks because they are road weary and it is always tough to play at the Delta Center, and tough for Utah because Dallas is better than average and always seem to have Utah’s number. Let’s hope that the Jazz can get the new year started right and get the victory in what should be an exciting holiday game, GO JAZZ!!
Game Info
When: Monday, January 1st, 7:00 PM MT
Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
TV/Streaming: Jazz+, KJZZ
Radio: KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM
Injury Report
It looks like the Jazz have a clean injury report (up to the writing of this article) but the Dallas Mavericks look like they have more players possibly out.
Dallas Mavericks Injury Report vs. Utah Jazz:
Luka Doncic – questionable (left quad soreness)
Kyrie Irving – questionable (right heel contusion)
Dante Exum – questionable (right heel contusion)
Seth Curry – questionable (illness)
Maxi Kleber – out (right small toe dislocation)…— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) January 1, 2024
This is the first time in 12 games that Kyrie Irving has been upgraded to questionable, so it seems likely they will play. We’ll find out closer to game time if Doncic and Irving play.
Utah
Penalties to be enforced if Trump’s face covered on national park passes, reports say
SALT LAKE CITY — Those using a new national park pass who want to enjoy Utah’s “Mighty Five” better do so with President Donald Trump’s face perfectly intact, or you might pay a literal price.
The new annual park passes, which debuted on Jan. 1, feature Trump’s image alongside that of George Washington. At the same time as the release, the Department of the Interior reportedly updated its rules to ensure Trump’s face remains free and clear.
According to the Washington Post, the updated “Void if Altered” policy prohibits anyone from defacing the pass or covering up any images or information on the cards. Visitors found by rangers to have altered a pass by any means will be ordered to return it to its original condition or possibly be charged a regular entrance fee.
SFGate reported the policy originally prohibited any alteration of the signature portion of the pass, with the updated policy including the front of the card, with a warning that “writing on it or adding stickers or other coverings” is no longer allowed.
Anti-DEI mandates at national parks include Zion gift shop:
‘History deserves honesty,’ anti-DEI mandates at national parks include Zion gift shop
Many believe the updated policy is in direct response to the large pushback over the inclusion of Trump, leaving people to share creative ways to hide the president’s image from passes, including stickers and sleeves.
Along with the suggestions on how to hide Trump’s image, a nonprofit environmental group has filed a lawsuit claiming its design did not comply with legislation that requires public participation in the selection.
Utah
Two killed, six wounded in shooting outside Mormon church in Utah
Two people were killed, and at least six were wounded when gunfire erupted outside a funeral at a Mormon church in Utah on Wednesday night, according to authorities and reports.
Eight people were hit by gunfire when shots rang out outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Redwood Road in Salt Lake City around 7:30 p.m., Salt Lake City Police Department spokesperson Glen Mills told the Salt Lake City Tribune.
Two people were killed, and six people were injured in the shooting that occurred outside in the church’s parking lot as dozens were attending a funeral service inside.
Of the six wounded, three individuals are in critical condition, the Salt Lake City Police Department posted on X. All of the victims were adults.
There were no suspects in custody as of late Wednesday night, and it is not immediately clear if there were multiple gunmen involved. A motive was also unknown.
However, police said they have obtained solid leads in the investigation and are working to locate individuals involved in the shooting.
“We believe this was not a random incident,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd told reporters.
The shooting was not believed to be targeting a religion, Redd clarified.
Roughly 100 law enforcement vehicles swarmed the area in the aftermath of the gunfire as helicopters flew overhead.
The area around the Mormon church remained closed into the evening as authorities urged the public to stay clear of the still active scene.
“This should never have happened outside a place of worship. This should never have happened outside a celebration of life,” said Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
The Salt Lake City Police Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The incident remains under investigation.
With Post wires.
Utah
Kevin Love Admits He Didn’t See Jazz Trade Coming
The Utah Jazz’s experiment to bring in 18-year league veteran Kevin Love thus far into the 2025-26 campaign has been a pretty solid success in the first two-plus months of the season.
Love has been a positive voice in the locker room as the most tenured NBA veteran on the roster, he’s been vocal about enjoying his time and role with the organization, and for his time on the floor throughout the first 30 or so games of the regular season, he’s nestled into a consistent rotational player as the Jazz’s backup center as Walker Kessler has been out with a shoulder injury.
But when he first arrived in Utah via a three-team trade from the Miami Heat, packed within the deal that sent John Collins to the LA Clippers, Love didn’t quite know what to expect out of his experience; he didn’t even anticipate being traded to the Jazz in the first place.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I got here, but I’ve been very pleasantly surprised from everything, from ownership, and Ryan Smith to the front office to the coaching staff, players all the way through,” Love said of the Jazz on The Old Man and the Three. “It’s been a blessing in my 18th year to be a part of this team and some place, I mean, you never know where you’re going to end up.”
“I did not expect to be traded but as far as a landing spot goes and just saying, yeah, so many people are saying ‘Oh what if it doesn’t work out? What if it doesn’t work out?’ I’m like ‘What if it does?’, right?And I think just adding value whether I’m playing or not is something that’s given me a lot of happiness and a lot of joy this late in my career. And I think that has allowed me to see a lot of the good and what this team has been able to bring and move forward.”
Kevin Love Settling in Nicely With Utah Jazz
Love’s value stretches both on and off the floor for the Jazz, which makes sense for why the veteran big man has been loving his time since being on the roster. The 2016 NBA champion was vocal before the season about his desire to be a value add for wherever that may be, including Utah, and he’s been able to carve out just the right role for himself at this point in his career.
During his 20 games played for the Jazz this season, Love has averaged 7.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and shooting 41.1% from the field in just over 17 minutes a night when he plays, and has proven he can still be a guy worthy of a few minutes down the rotation to fill out an NBA frontcourt, as he has for the year in Utah so far.
It remains to be seen just how long Love’s time in Utah will last. There’s not even a guarantee that the 37-year-old will finish the regular season on the roster, depending on how the next few weeks transpire around the trade deadline and as the buyout market begins to gain some traction. But, for the time that he is in Salt Lake City, he’s made it into a nice home for what’s now the fourth roster he’s been on through nearly two decades in the league.
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