Jayhawks

The Utah Jazz are finalizing a deal to send Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kira Lewis, Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first-round pick, according to <a href="https://x.com/wojespn/status/1755615780115267771?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.</a>
Olynyk, a 6-foot-11 center/power forward, is currently averaging 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 50 games. Agbaji, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, averaged 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 51 games this season. This trade gives the Raptors shooting and additional spacing around young star Scottie Barnes and recent acquisitions Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
Lewis, a 6-foot-1 guard, has rarely played this season. He was traded from New Orleans to Toronto earlier in the year, and now he moves again to Utah. Lewis has only appeared in 16 total games, averaging just 2.8 points and 1.1 assists.&nbsp;
Porter, a 6-foot-8 forward and a 2022 champion with the Golden State Warriors, also has appeared in just 15 games for the Raptors and he&rsquo;s averaging just 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds.
The 2024 first-round pick to the Jazz will be the least favorable of Thunder/Clippers/Rockets/Jazz in 2024, according to Wojnarowski.
This move indicates the Jazz are focused on developing their younger players after also trading starting forward Simone Fontecchio to Detroit yesterday. This likely means more minutes for their 2023 lottery pick Taylor Hendricks at the 4 and Walker Kessler starting at the 5 more often.

The Jazz are trading Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji to the Raptors in exchange for Kira Lewis, Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first-round pick.

Raptors acquire Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji from Jazz

What seemed to be a lost season for the Utah Jazz has suddenly turned around due to the team's recent success, winning 15 of their last 21 games.&nbsp;
After starting just 7-16, the Jazz have since gone 11-4 and are now in contention for one of the Western Conference's play-in spots. They&rsquo;ve had an incredible week thus far, with wins over the contending Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets.
The win over the defending-champion Nuggets proved that the Jazz can hang with any team on any given night. Denver was 18-0 against sub-.500 teams entering the game, but Utah stained their erstwhile unblemished slate.
How did the Jazz do it? Let's take a look at some of the things they did to upend the Nuggets.
The Jazz stretched the floor&nbsp;
With John Collins starting at center instead of Walker Kessler, Utah's game plan was to pull Nikola Jokic from the paint. Jokic, who&rsquo;s usually a drop-big on defense, almost always stays near the shaded area in pick-and-roll actions. Utah tried to take advantage of this early by hunting out threes and exploiting the point-of-attack defenses of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Four of their first five attempts were three-pointers and they connected on two to jump out to an early lead.
Denver tried to counter by running zone, leaving Collins open a couple of times in the first quarter. However, Collins made them pay by hitting two threes, as Jokic was more than content to leave him open for threes. This allowed the Jazz to get rolling even more and gave them the freedom to attack the basket and get downhill.
Another possession in the zone found Reggie Jackson and Jokic in a miscommunication, leading to Jordan Clarkson drilling an easy 10-foot jumper. When the Nuggets tried to switch up their defense back to a man-to-man, the Jazz found the answer with some off-ball movement and timely cuts to the rim. Overall, it was an offensive clinic that caught the defending champs off guard.
The Jazz mixed their coverages on Jokic and gave him different looks on defense
You can't entirely stop an all-world talent like Nikola Jokic, you could only hope to contain him, which is still really tough considering how talented he is and his ability to get his teammates involved.
Although he still put up a monstrous stat line of 27 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists on an absurd 8-of-9 shooting from the field, what the Jazz and Will Hardy did was mix-up coverages on him. They showed multiple defensive looks each time down, which partly confused Jokic as he committed 6 turnovers in the game.
Sometimes, it was single coverage; other times, they sent doubles at him. Three different players &mdash; Lauri Markannen, Collins and Kessler &mdash; each took turns guarding him and all three provided different looks on the Joker. Markannen used his strength, Collins had his quickness and quick hands, while Kessler provided verticality with his 7-foot-1 frame.
The Jazz also sent different doubles at Jokic, sometimes crowding him in the paint with early double-teams, breaking up his low-post attacks with guards doubling him, and sending late doubles with another big or using a help weakside defender to try to affect him as he attempted a shot.
All of these defensive coverages were designed to make Jokic feel uncomfortable with different styles thrown at him, and the Jazz were successful at that with this blowout win.&nbsp;
Will Hardy figured out the rotations and had the Jazz playing with confidence
Although their defense is still suspect, the Jazz&rsquo;s offense has been nothing but spectacular. This can be attributed to head coach Will Hardy figuring out his rotation and which players synergize well together. This impressive run over their last 20 games started when Hardy made Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, Simone Fontecchio, Lauri Markannen and John Collins the starting five. Off the bench, Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk provide stability as veterans while second-year guys Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji help out on defense with their length and tenacity.
Utah&rsquo;s offense was on full display against Denver, picking them apart with set plays and off of read-and-react actions. Although the Nuggets were coming off two days of rest and just an hour flight, the Jazz capitalized on their momentum and pounced right from the start.
Markannen has picked up right where he left off in last season&rsquo;s All-Star campaign, maintaining his shooting and scoring while improving his ball-handling this season. He&rsquo;s much better off the dribble now, which makes him one of the most coveted (if not most coveted) trade targets as the Feb. 8 deadline approaches.
Clarkson has also learned to move the ball more since being back to his regular sixth man role while continuing to score the ball effectively, and it has produced good results.
Dunn and Sexton allow the Jazz to play with pace and energy on both sides of the floor and their efforts are infectious.
Despite all of the trade rumors swirling around this team and rival teams trying to pry their players away, GM Danny Ainge and coach Will Hardy deserve credit for helping the Jazz build good habits and play the right way, which has resulted in beautiful basketball all around.&nbsp;

What seemed to be a lost season for the Utah Jazz has suddenly turned around, as they have won 15 of their last 21 games.

How the Utah Jazz earned their statement win over the Denver Nuggets

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash;&nbsp;Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 28 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 118-114 victory over the Western Conference leading Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Luka Samanic finished with a career-high 23 points and eight rebounds for Utah. Kris Dunn chipped in 19 points, a season-high 14 assists and eight rebounds. Simone Fontecchio added 15 points.
The Jazz snapped a four-game losing streak and won for just the second time in 10 games. Their zone defense limited the Nuggets to 35 total shots in the paint. Utah, on the other hand, scored 32 baskets in the paint.
&ldquo;We did a good job tonight making Denver play a type of game they don&rsquo;t want to play,&rdquo; Jazz coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;We wanted them to play over the top of us if they were going to beat us.&rdquo;
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a season-high 21 points for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray added 20 points and five assists. Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. chipped in 15 points apiece. Nikola Jokic tallied 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Denver lost for the fifth time in six games.
&ldquo;We started off very slow, but we picked it up second quarter and end of the third quarter,&rdquo; Caldwell-Pope said. &ldquo;For us to start that way, we can&rsquo;t come out slow like that.&rdquo;
After trailing the entire first half, Denver surged ahead late in the third quarter. Caldwell-Pope buried back-to-back 3s to spark a 19-4 run that gave the Nuggets a 95-87 lead. Murray and Gordon punctuated the decisive run with two more outside baskets.
Utah rallied in the fourth quarter with Denver&rsquo;s starters on the bench. Agbaji scored three baskets to key a 10-1 run that put the Jazz up 116-110 in the final minute.
He bounced back from a tough outing against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday by putting together one of his best rookie season performances on Saturday &ndash; with his family in attendance.
&ldquo;I just feel like after the last game, I had to kind of show them something a little bit more,&rdquo; Agbaji said.
Agbaji also lit a fire under the Jazz offense in the first quarter. He made five baskets and scored 12 points overall to help Utah sprint out to a 26-8 lead.
Denver struggled out of the gates. The Nuggets missed seven of their first eight shots and committed four turnovers in the first six minutes to fall behind by double digits.
&ldquo;Horrendous start to the game,&rdquo; Denver coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We just kind of showed up but give Utah credit because they built a 19-point lead early on.&rdquo;
Denver nearly erased the deficit late in the second quarter. Jokic made a layup and assisted two other baskets to fuel a 12-0 run that cut Utah&rsquo;s lead to 54-53 in the final minute before halftime.
The Nuggets took their first lead of the game early in the third quarter when Porter buried a 3-pointer to put Denver up 61-58.
FALSE START
The opening moments of the game turned into a comedy of errors.
Jokic committed a loose ball foul on the opening tip. Agbaji immediately countered with a turnover when he tried to hand the ball to Dunn instead of throwing an inbound pass.
&ldquo;Weird way to start off the game, but it was fine,&rdquo; Agbaji said.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Jokic was held to six points on 2-of-5 shooting. Caldwell-Pope blocked two shots, matching a season-high, and went 6-of-8 from 3-point range.
Jazz: Micah Potter finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds &ndash; both career highs. Dunn had three steals, matching his season high. Only nine Utah players dressed for the game.
UP NEXT
Nuggets host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Jazz visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 28 points to lead the Jazz to a 118-114 victory over the West-leading Nuggets on Saturday.

Agbaji scores 28, rallies Jazz past Nuggets 118-114

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; LeBron James scored 37 points &ndash; including the game-winning basket &ndash; to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 135-133 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Anthony Davis tallied 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers. Austin Reaves added 28 points. Five players scored in double figures to help Los Angeles win for the seventh time in eight games.
Kelly Olynyk finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead Utah. Talen Horton-Tucker added 23 points and seven assists for the Jazz. Horton-Tucker has scored 123 points over his last four games. Ochai Agbaji chipped in 22. The Jazz lost for the seventh time in eight games.
James drove for a go-ahead layup with 27 seconds left to help the Lakers escape with a win. Los Angeles held Utah without a basket over the final 1:38 after Olynyk gave the Jazz a 132-129 lead on a three.
Utah rallied from a double-digit deficit after shooting 71% from the field in the third quarter. The Jazz finally took their first second-half lead on back-to-back baskets from Collin Sexton and Luka Samanic, going up 99-97 early in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles retook the lead on back-to-back baskets from Dennis Schroder and James and went up 124-114 with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter on eight straight points from Reaves.
Utah countered with an 10-0 run to force overtime. Olynyk scored a basket and assisted two others and Jones knotted the score on a pair of free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining in regulation.
TIP INS
Lakers: Reaves is averaging 20.5 points over his last eight games. Los Angeles has lost once in that stretch. &hellip; James, Davis, and Reaves combined for 18 assists, dishing out six apiece.
Jazz: Samanic made his first start of the season, finishing with 12 points. &hellip; Sexton returned to action after missing 18 games with a hamstring strain. He scored 15 points and had three assists in 16 minutes.
UP NEXT
Lakers: At Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Jazz: Host Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.&nbsp;

Five players scored in double figures to help Los Angeles win for the seventh time in eight games.

LeBron's game-winner lifts Lakers past Jazz in OT

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Mikal Bridges had 30 points and seven rebounds, helping the Brooklyn Nets move closer to clinching a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference by holding off the Utah Jazz 111-110 on Sunday.
Spencer Dinwiddie had 17 points and 12 assists, his eighth double-double in 23 games for Brooklyn, and Cam Johnson had 18 points. The Nets won their third straight, and fourth in their past five games, opening a two-game lead over Miami for the No. 6 seed and dipping their magic number to two to clinch the last guaranteed playoff spot in the East.
Talen Horton-Tucker scored 32 points and Lauri Markkanen had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz, who lost for the fifth time in six games and are 12th in the West, two spots behind the last play-in spot. Ochai Agbaji had 19 points.
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Brooklyn led by 11 at halftime then outscored Utah 28-15 over a span of 10 1/2 minutes between the third and fourth quarters to build a 23-point lead. Bridges had 17 of his 19 second-half points in the third quarter.
Horton-Tucker scored 15 in the fourth and Utah outscored Brooklyn 42-26 in the quarter. The Jazz used a 26-8 run to cut Brooklyn&rsquo;s lead to one and had a chance to win after Seth Curry missed two free throws, but Kelly Olynyk&rsquo;s jumper at the buzzer went long.
Markkanen, who leads the Jazz by averaging 25.7 points per game, started just 2 for 8 from the field and was held scoreless until the 7:21 mark of the second quarter. Brooklyn held Utah to just 42 first-half points, the second-fewest of any first half this season, and the Jazz made just 8 of 32 3-pointers in the game.
Brooklyn made 13 of its first 25 shots, including four of its first seven 3-pointers, and used a 20-5 run to build a 34-19 second-quarter lead.
TIP-INS
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Jazz: Forward Rudy Gay (lower back) missed his sixth straight game, and guards Jordan Clarkson (left ring finger) and Collin Sexton (left hamstring) were also inactive. &hellip; Horton-Tucker started his 18th straight game, and Agbaji started his 16th in a row. &hellip; With one Sunday, Markkanen added to his NBA record for single-season 3-pointers among 7-footers (200)
Nets: Dinwiddie led the NBA with 146 assists in March. He is averaging 8.7 per game in 23 games since the Nets acquired him from Dallas in the Kyrie Irving trade Feb. 6.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host the Lakers on Tuesday
Nets: Host Minnesota on Tuesday

The Brooklyn Nets moved closer to clinching a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference by holding off the Utah Jazz 111-110 on Sunday.

Nets hold off Jazz 111-110, move closer to playoff berth

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had 31 points and 11 assists, Jamal Murray finished with 26 points and nine assists, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 129-106 on Saturday night in a late-season showdown of the NBA&rsquo;s conference leaders.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 19 points for West-leading Denver (50-24), which outscored East-leading Milwaukee 68-40 in the second half.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points -- just seven in the second half -- and grabbed nine rebounds for the Bucks (53-20).
The battle of the top teams in each conference -- and two strong MVP candidates -- was more competitive than the teams&rsquo; first meeting, won by the Bucks 107-99.
SUNS 125, 76ERS 105
PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker scored 29 points, Bismack Biyombo added 17 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, and the Phoenix Suns snapped a three-game losing streak.
Phoenix got good minutes from most of their bench players, particularly Terrence Ross and T.J. Warren. Warren finished with 16 points, while Ross had 15. Booker shot 9 of 18 from the field and hit all nine of his free throws.
The Suns won despite a huge game from Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who finished with 37 points on 14-of-19 shooting, including 7 of 11 from 3-point range. Joel Embiid added 28 points and 10 rebounds.
KINGS 121, JAZZ 113
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Kevin Huerter scored 27 points, had seven rebounds and four assists and Sacramento beat Utah.
Domantas Sabonis finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists for his NBA-leading 60th double-double of the season. Harrison Barnes added 18 points. Keegan Murray scored 14 of his 22 total points in the first quarter and knocked down six three-pointers for the Kings.
Jazz rookie Walker Kessler scored a career-high 31 points for the Jazz. Kessler added 11 rebounds and finished 14 of 16 from the floor. Kelly Olynyk finished with 17 points and 10 assists, Ochai Agbaji scored 20 and Jarrell Brantley added 13 off the bench for Utah.
NETS 129, HEAT 100
MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Mikal Bridges scored 27 points, and the Brooklyn Nets opened the third quarter on a 31-6 run on the way to rolling past Miami and leapfrogging the Heat back into the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Cam Johnson added 23 points and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 15 for the Nets (40-34), who snapped a five-game slide. They&rsquo;re only a half-game up on Miami (40-35) in the race for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff berth, but swept the Heat 3-0 this season and would also own a head-to-head tiebreaker.
Max Strus scored 23 for the Heat, all of them in the first half. Tyler Herro scored 23, Jimmy Butler had 18 and Bam Adebayo finished with 16 for the Heat. Miami was outscored 64-31 after halftime.
HAWKS 143, PACERS 130
ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; John Collins led eight Atlanta scorers in double figures with 21 points and the Hawks overcame Jordan Nwora&rsquo;s season-high 33 points and protected their shaky hold on the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff standings
Trae Young was ejected in the third quarter after firing an unusually hard pass to referee Scott Wall during a timeout. Wall caught the ball. Young was immediately called for a technical foul and ejected. Young had 14 points and five assists. Dejounte Murray had 20 points in his return after missing two games with a non-COVID illness. Saddiq Bey led Atlanta&rsquo;s bench with 18 points.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 19 points and Buddy Hield had 16 for Indiana.
PELICANS 131, CLIPPERS 110
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Trey Murphy III scored 32 points, Brandon Ingram had 32 points and 13 assists, and the New Orleans Pelicans never trailed against the Los Angeles Clippers.
C.J. McCollum had 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Pelicans, who have won four in a row.
Bones Hyland scored 18 points and Kawhi Leonard added 12 points and six rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost three of four.
At risk of falling out of the play-in tournament with a loss, the energized Pelicans started out hot, scoring the first eight points, and never let up.

A recap of Saturday's slate of NBA hoops includes the East and West's best going head-to-head.

Conference leaders clash as Nuggets top Bucks 129-106

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 27 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the Utah Jazz to a 128-120 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
Kelly Olynyk had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Jazz. Kris Dunn added 18 points and a season-high 10 assists. Udoka Azubuike chipped in with a career-high 13 points and a season-best eight rebounds.
Eight players scored in double figures for the Jazz, who shot 52% from the field.
Agbaji&rsquo;s offensive outburst underscored the progress he&rsquo;s made from earlier in his rookie season when he had stints in the G League.
&ldquo;I kind of saw that as my own race, starting there,&rdquo; Agbaji said. &ldquo;My expectations were a little bit different coming in, but starting there, I had to be fine with it, had to go with it, had to give it my all and have a positive attitude while I was doing it.&rdquo;
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox had 37 points and seven assists to lead Sacramento. Keegan Murray added 22 points for the Kings. Fox and Murray combined to make 12 3-pointers.
Harrison Barnes scored 16 for Sacramento, and Malik Monk added 15.
Olynyk put the Jazz ahead for good on a 3-pointer with 1:34 left to break a 118-all tie. Dunn, Agbaji, Walker Kessler and Olynyk combined to make seven free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
Sacramento trailed by double digits throughout the first half before erasing the deficit during the third quarter. Fox and Murray led the charge, combining for 33 points in the period.
Fox scored five baskets to fuel a 19-5 run that cut Utah&rsquo;s lead to 76-74 midway through the quarter. The Kings tied it three times on 3-pointers from Monk, Murray and Fox but did not go in front until early in the fourth quarter.
Chimezie Metu completed a 3-point play to give Sacramento its first lead at 100-98 with 9:15 remaining.
&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t trick a trick defense,&rdquo; Kings coach Mike Brown said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve just got to just run your stuff. If you run your stuff, somebody&rsquo;s going to get an open shot.&rdquo;
Playing without the team&rsquo;s top three scorers &mdash; Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton &mdash; did not slow down Utah&rsquo;s offense in the first quarter.
The Jazz shot 60% from the field and made five 3-pointers to build a 40-19 lead by the end of the period. Utah showed offensive balance while coasting to a double-digit advantage. Five players scored two or more baskets in the quarter. Olynyk and Agbaji led the way with three apiece.
&ldquo;We lost this game in the first quarter,&rdquo; Fox said. &ldquo;We shot ourselves in the foot. Obviously we fought back, but you don&rsquo;t want to be in that type of position.&rdquo;
Utah did not cool down much through the second quarter. The Jazz extended their lead to 24 before halftime, going up 59-35 when Olynyk capped a 7-0 run with a corner 3.
&ldquo;We were able to use our pace. It&rsquo;s been a huge emphasis for us since the trade deadline to try to play faster,&rdquo; Jazz coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;We fed off our defense. We did a good job of getting stops and it allowed us to get out and run.&rdquo;
BLOCK PARTY
Kessler blocked five shots for the 10th time this season. None were more clutch than his final swat on a layup attempt by Domantas Sabonis with 1:20 remaining that would have cut the deficit to one. Kessler secured the rebound, and the Kings never got a chance to draw closer.
&ldquo;A lot of teams want to attack inside in the last moments just because you&rsquo;re trying to foul,&rdquo; Kessler said. &ldquo;I happened to be there. I liked my chances to block the shot.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Kings: Sabonis led the Kings in rebounds (12) and assists (nine) and finished with 11 points. &hellip; Sacramento scored zero fast-break points in the first half.
Jazz: Simone Fontecchio made his second career start in place of Markkanen, who sat out with back soreness. Fontecchio finished with 12 points. &hellip; Utah allowed a season-high 43 points in the third quarter.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host Boston on Tuesday night.
Jazz: Host Portland on Wednesday night.

Eight players scored in double figures for the Jazz, who shot 52% from the field.

Agbaji scores 27, Jazz hold off Kings for 128-120 victory

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Lauri Markkanen scored 28 points and Walker Kessler had a game-saving block to help the Utah Jazz to a 118-117 comeback win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.
Grant Williams, who had 23 points and a career-high seven 3-pointers, was driving for a potential game-winner but ran into Kessler, who blocked his shot just before the final buzzer.
Talen Horton-Tucker had 19 points and Ochai Agbaji added 16 for the Jazz, who overcame a 19-point deficit to win and stay in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Malcolm Brogdon had 16 and Jayson Tatum finished with 15, but was shut out in the second half as the short-handed Celtics were playing their third game in four nights.
The Celtics made 22 3-pointers, one off their season high, but missed enough down the stretch for the Jazz to pull off the win.

Lauri Markkanen scored 28 points and Walker Kessler had a game-saving block to help the Jazz to a 118-117 win over the Celtics.

Jazz beat Celtics 118-117 behind Markkanen's 28 points

Anyone trying to fill out their NCAA Tournament brackets ought to start by figuring out which teams have the best backcourts.
This has been a guard&rsquo;s event for years.
When Kansas&rsquo; Ochai Agbaji helped the Jayhawks win the national title last season, he became the ninth straight guard to be selected as a Final Four&rsquo;s most outstanding player. The list started with Duke&rsquo;s Tyus Jones in 2015 and continued with Villanova&rsquo;s Ryan Arcidiacono, North Carolina&rsquo;s Joel Berry II, Villanova&rsquo;s Donte DiVincenzo, Virginia&rsquo;s Kyle Guy and Baylor&rsquo;s Jared Butler.
Occasionally a big man can dominate the college basketball landscape the way Anthony Davis did while leading Kentucky to the 2012 title, but they&rsquo;re the exceptions. The NCAA Tournament generally is all about guard play.
Here&rsquo;s a look at six backcourts that merit watching.
BAYLOR: L.J. Cryer, Adam Flagler and Keyonte George.
Baylor won the NCAA Tournament two years ago behind its outstanding backcourt and will try to do it again with a different set of guards. All three of them score at least 14.5 points per game. Flagler was one of five finalists for the Jerry West Award given to the nation&rsquo;s top shooting guard. He also earned AP first-team all-Big 12 honors. George, the best pro prospect in the trio, was a second-team all-Big 12 pick. Baylor ranks second in Division I in adjusted offensive efficiency, a metric measured by college basketball stats guru Ken Pomeroy that essentially translates to points scored per 100 possessions when adjusted for the level of competition.&nbsp;
HOUSTON: Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead.
Sasser is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Award given to the national player of the year He&rsquo;s eager for this NCAA Tournament showcase after a foot injury ended his 2021-22 season after just 12 games. He injured his groin in the American Athletic Association Tournament and didn&rsquo;t play in Sunday&rsquo;s championship game, so it remains to be seen how close he is to full strength. Sasser has scored over 17 points per game each of the last two seasons. Shead has nearly three times as many assists as turnovers.
KANSAS: Gradey Dick, Dajuan Harris and Kevin McCullar Jr.
The defending national champions had to replace virtually their entire nucleus from last year but still put together an outstanding backcourt to complement forward Jalen Wilson, the AP Big 12 player of the year. Dick, a freshman, is a Jerry West Award finalist, scoring nearly 15 points per game; he arguably is more a small forward at 6-foot-8, but Kansas lists him as a guard. Dick and McCullar both were AP second-team all-Big 12 selections. McCullar, a Texas Tech transfer, has scored in double figures three straight seasons and is pulling down over 7 rebounds per game. Harris is dishing out over 6 assists per game and ranks third among all Division I players in assist-turnover ratio.
MARQUETTE: Kam Jones, Tyler Kolek and Stevie Mitchell.
Kolek, a Naismith Award semifinalist and the Big East player of the year, has 7.7 assists per game and has well over three times as many assists as turnovers. He was named the Big East Tournament MVP. Jones, a second-team AP all-Big East selection, leads Marquette in scoring and makes nearly three 3-pointers per game. Mitchell has over 7 points per game but is best known for his defense. This group helped Marquette win its first Big East outright regular-season title and first Big East Tournament championship.
MIAMI: Jordan Miller, Nijel Pack and Isaiah Wong.
This trio helped Miami win a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and earn the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2013. Wong is a Jerry West Award finalist and AP first-team all-ACC pick. He was named ACC player of the year by a 75-member panel including coaches and media representatives. Wong, Miller and Pack are each scoring over 13 points per game.
XAVIER: Souley Boum, Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel.
This trio helped Xavier lead all Division I teams in assists per game. Boum and Jones are each averaging over 4 assists per game, while Kunkel has 3 per game. They&rsquo;re also scoring about a combined 42 points per game. Boum, an AP first-team all-Big East selection, ranks second in the conference in scoring. Jones was an AP second-team all-Big East pick.

A look at six backcourts that merit watching in the upcoming men's NCAA Tournament.

March Madness: 6 backcourts worth watching in 2023 Men's NCAA Tourney

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Jaren Jackson had 26 points, nine rebounds and four blocks and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Utah Jazz 117-111 on Wednesday night in the last game for both teams before the All-Star break.
Desmond Bane scored 24 points and Ja Morant had 20 points &mdash; on 8-of-26 shooting &mdash; and nine assists. Jackson also had five steals.
Kelly Olynyk led the Jazz with 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson had 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Utah, which trailed by 24 in the first half, cut the Memphis lead to 111-110 when Ochai Agbaji (17 points) scored on a dunk with 1:28 left. But Morant scored the next three points for Memphis and the Grizzlies held on for their second straight victory.
&ldquo;Being up 24, you definitely don&rsquo;t want to go into the All-Star break after losing a (big) lead, but we survived,&rdquo; Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.
Jackson said there were several key factors that helped Memphis hold on. He said the performance &ldquo;wasn&rsquo;t great,&rdquo; but the Grizzlies had enough left at the end to escape the Utah comeback.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t tell you what it was,&rdquo; Jackson said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just happy they missed some shots late, and we made some shots late. We got the ball to who we wanted to get it to and finished it out.&rdquo;
Utah scoring leader Lauri Markkanen was out with right knee soreness. Then, four minutes into the game, guard Collin Sexton went out with a left hamstring injury and did not return. That left the Jazz short-handed and relying on their reserves. Talen Horton-Tucker led the Utah bench, scoring 15 points, while grabbing seven rebounds and handing out an equal number of assists.
Memphis benefitted from poor ball protection by the Jazz in the first half. Fifteen first-half turnovers by Utah resulted in 26 Grizzlies points. Jackson already had 16 points, cashing in on four 3-pointers, while recording three blocks and four steals in the first half.
Utah outscored Memphis 33-25 in third quarter, cutting the lead to 88-80 entering the fourth.
&ldquo;You see everybody&rsquo;s energy and how they played tonight?&rdquo; Clarkson said. &ldquo;Nobody ever gave up throughout the whole game. We had turnovers and missed shots early.&rdquo;
But Clarkson noted that the youthful energy of the Jazz along with new teammates helped them overcome early problems in the game while missing key players.
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&ldquo;One shot away, two plays away from winning the game,&rdquo; Clarkson said.
TIP-INS
Jazz: F Juan Toscano-Anderson made his debut with the Jazz after he was traded from the Lakers at the deadline. He finished with seven points. ... Olynyk was 4 of 4 from 3-point range in the Jazz win over Indiana but missed all three 3-pointers in the first half. He finished 3 of 7 from outside the arc. ...In addition to Markkanen, reserve F Rudy Gay was out with non-COVID illness.
Grizzlies: Brandon Clarke started his seventh game of the season at center. ... Are 17-16 against the Western Conference. ... The win marks only the third time in franchise history that they have reached 35 wins before the All-Star break.
STANDINGS WATCH
The Jazz entered the night in 10th place in the Western Conference, holding onto the last play-in spot a mere half-game ahead of Portland and Oklahoma City. Utah coach Will Hardy said there has to be a balance to watching the logjam.
&ldquo;It can be daunting when you look at the standing,&rdquo; Hardy said. &ldquo;How tight everything is. Then you start trying to do math in your head about what you may have to do.&rdquo; Then he added: &ldquo;I&rsquo;d be lying if I said we don&rsquo;t look at the standings. You do.&rdquo;
</div>

Jaren Jackson had 26 points, nine rebounds and four blocks and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Utah Jazz 117-111.

Jackson, Bane lead Grizzlies over Jazz, 117-111

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Jaylen Nowell added a career-high 30 to lead Minnesota to a 143-118 win over Utah on Wednesday night amid word the&nbsp;Timberwolves, Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers were part of an eight-player swap&nbsp;hours ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
&ldquo;It was crazy, the last six hours,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;But, I mean, we&rsquo;re here to play basketball at the end of the day. We can&rsquo;t really feed into that &mdash; we have nothing to do with that. (My teammates) did a great job of staying locked in and they kept me locked in.&rdquo;
Playing loose, the Timberwolves set a season high with 79 points in the first half and led 107-80 midway through the third quarter, helped by 64% shooting from the field and 61% from 3-point range.
While not speaking directly about a trade that hadn&rsquo;t been announced, Minnesota coach Chris Finch detailed the difficulty if playing while the roster was in flux.
&ldquo;We just talked briefly about things before taking the floor. These things, it&rsquo;s unfortunate timing, you don&rsquo;t ever get to pick your timing. Maybe in some ways, it was good that we could just play a game and not have to overthink things. But guys were ready,&rdquo; Finch said.
Luka Garza scored a career-high 25 points and the Timberwolves made 23 3-pointers at a 54% shooting clip, tying their highest output of the season.
&ldquo;It was definitely strange,&rdquo; Garza said of the deal happening just before the game. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t want to ever look back in my time in NBA and be like, I didn&rsquo;t make the most of what was my childhood dream.&rdquo;
The three-team trade was confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday night by a person with knowledge of the deal, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn&rsquo;t announced the major deal made ahead of Thursday afternoon&rsquo;s trade deadline.
In the deal, the Timberwolves sent D&rsquo;Angelo Russell to the Lakers, where he played his first two NBA seasons from 2015-17. Utah shipped Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Mike Conley to Minnesota and dealt Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to the Lakers. The Jazz received Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones from the Lakers, as well as a first-round draft pick in 2027.
The Jazz were short-handed in the game without four players who have logged significant minutes this season, as the teams were just shells of their former selves.
The Timberwolves were also missing a host of regulars as Rudy Gobert (groin), Kyle Anderson (back) and Austin Rivers (suspension) were held out, and Karl-Anthony Towns is still sidelined with a right calf strain.
Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points and Collin Sexton had 20 in Utah&rsquo;s worst home loss of the season. Their worst road loss of the season was a 26-point defeat to Milwaukee on Dec. 17.
&ldquo;Credit to Minnesota, they made a lot of shots and we missed a lot of make-able shots,&rdquo; Utah coach Will Hardy said of his team making just 31 of 65 shots in the paint. &ldquo;They made 23 3s at 54% and that was too hard for us to overcome.&rdquo;
This Jazz have assembled a formidable collection of draft capital, including key pieces from Minnesota in last summer&rsquo;s Gobert deal.
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Utah has 15 unprotected or lightly protected first-round picks to use through 2029, along with a talented under-25 group of Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Sexton and Ochai Agbaji and more than $60 million under the salary cap if they buy out Westbrook, as expected.
Conley was Utah&rsquo;s only true point guard &ndash; and one of the last holdovers from the Donovan Mitchell and Gobert era. Now, Sexton will have the opportunity to prove he can be an effective starting playmaker on a winning team.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves will see if they can thrive with a veteran, pass-first point guard like Conley, who is averaging a career high 7.7 assists this season.
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson said they have something special coming their way in Conley.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a leader, great point guard and a guy that makes everybody&rsquo;s life easier on the court,&rdquo; Clarkson said. &ldquo;That guy was like Yoda, honestly. He had so many stories and he had such an enlightenment about him. You just listened to him. &hellip; He can communicate with anyone.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: After two overtime games, Minnesota has won two games by more than 25 points and lost one by 34. &hellip; The Timberwolves had 27 fast-break points to just two for the Jazz. &hellip; Luke Garza made a career-best four 3-pointers.
Jazz: In the first quarter, Rudy Gay passed Jason Kidd for 88th on the NBA all-time points scored list with 17,530. &hellip; Udoka Azubuike matched his season-high of four points with two rim-rattling dunks.
</div>

Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Jaylen Nowell added a career-high 30 to lead Minnesota to a 143-118 win over Utah

T’wolves top Jazz in matchup of teams trading with Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to be active before Thursday's NBA trade deadline and the team continues to shop Russell Westbrook and his massive $47 million expiring contract.
<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35601501/ahead-trade-deadline-focused-jazz-remind-our-job-listen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Tim MacMahon is reporting</a> that the Lakers have discussed a deal that would send Westbrook to the Utah Jazz. L.A. would also have to include their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in exchange for a combination of role players that would including Mike Conley, Malik Beasley and others.
MacMahon added that if such a deal happened, Westbrook would likely receive a buyout rather than joining the team.
The Jazz have also talked with the New York Knicks about a deal that would include Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt for Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin and draft compensation, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35601501/ahead-trade-deadline-focused-jazz-remind-our-job-listen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to MacMahon</a>.
Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, who has a reputation for being a shrewd negotiator in trades, told MacMahon: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll try to be careful, but we&rsquo;re trying to get better as fast as we can &mdash; without being panicked, without rushing. We&rsquo;re in control, and we feel like we&rsquo;ve got to be smart about the decisions that we make.&rdquo;
Utah has been one of the surprises of the NBA season, now at 27-28 and sitting in the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference despite trading away its two stars &ndash; Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert &ndash; before the season. While the team is in the last spot for the Play-In Tournament, the Jazz are mainly focused on their long-term rebuild.
The Jazz continue to talk with teams around the league about deals that could include Conley, Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jordan Clarkson. The team has three players it considers untouchable: Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji.
The Jazz have also <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jazz-expressing-interest-in-john-collins-jalen-mcdaniels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weighed their options as a buyer</a>, expressing interest in Atlanta Hawks big man John Collins and Charlotte Hornets forward Jalen McDaniels among others.

The Lakers have talked with the Jazz about a possible Russell Westbrook deal before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

Lakers discussing a Russell Westbrook trade with Jazz

Bill Self hasn&rsquo;t had to go through many stretches like this in his 20 seasons at Kansas. Yet the coach hasn&rsquo;t seemed angry or even all that discouraged during a rare three-game losing streak.
Self knows this isn&rsquo;t the same Jayhawks team that won the national championship last season.
Kansas (16-4, 5-3 Big 12) has gone from having one of the nation&rsquo;s most experienced rosters to a much younger group without a proven presence in the post in a loaded Big 12 Conference that may be better than ever.
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have as much margin for error as we&rsquo;ve had in years past and that&rsquo;s OK,&rdquo; Self said. &ldquo;But (when) you don&rsquo;t have quite as much margin for error, and the other teams in the league are a lot better, it makes it tough.&rdquo;
The ninth-ranked Jayhawks have lost three in a row for only the fourth time under Self. Each loss was to a ranked conference opponent, two on the road. The latest was 75-69 at Baylor on Monday night in a matchup of the last two national champions, the fifth win in a row for the 17th-ranked Bears.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be honest with you, I&rsquo;ve got to take a different approach and understand that it&rsquo;s a marathon,&rdquo; Self said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not an immediate reaction, because you can react immediately in this league, and you&rsquo;ll have nine other teams go through the exact same thing at some point.&rdquo;
Kansas is still loaded with talent.
Junior forward Jalen Wilson leads the Big 12 with in scoring at 21.4 points per game and is second in rebounds at 8.6. While streaky, freshman Gradey Dick (14.9 ppg) is the league&rsquo;s top 3-point shooter at 43.7%, and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. averages 7.3 rebounds. Dajuan Harris Jr. is one of the top assist men at 6.5 per game despite his extended shooting struggles.
But these Jayhawks are different than most of Self&rsquo;s standout teams in the past that played through the post with big guys like David McCormack, Jeff Withey, Thomas Robinson or Udoka Azubuike.
McCormack was part of last year&rsquo;s title team, along with first-round NBA draft picks Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun. The Jayhawks also lost ballhandler Remy Martin and veteran sharpshooter Jalen Coleman-Lands.
Kansas plays its SEC/Big 12 Challenge game Saturday at Kentucky (14-6), which won 80-62 at Allen Fieldhouse last season. The Jayhawks will be trying to avoid their first four-game losing streak since 1988-89, their first season under coach Roy Williams.
After going to Rupp Arena to face coach John Calipari&rsquo;s struggling Wildcats, the Jayhawks return to conference play against fifth-ranked Kansas State. They then open the second half of their Big 12 schedule at No. 12 Iowa State before hosting No. 10 Texas.
Their current skid began with an 83-82 overtime loss last week at K-State, which had a 14-point lead midway through the first half. TCU, now ranked 11th, hit 13 of its first 15 shots and had an early 19-0 run in an 83-60 win Saturday, the second-worst home loss in the Self era.
&ldquo;Our league is that good,&rdquo; Self said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a grind.&rdquo;
The Jayhawks trailed by as many as 13 midway through the first half at Baylor. They took their only lead when Wilson swished a 3-pointer with 15 1/2 minutes left, but the Bears responded with a 12-3 run.
&ldquo;The way that K-State played the first 10 minutes, the way TCU played the first 10 minutes, and the way Baylor played the first 10 minutes, if we had played really well, we would have still been behind,&rdquo; Self said, before using a wrestling analogy prompted by seeing two former Oklahoma State classmates in the postgame interview room at Baylor.
Brad Livingstone was a senior at Oklahoma State during the 1981-82 season, when Self was a freshman for the Cowboys. Livingstone&rsquo;s wife, Baylor president Linda Livingstone, also played basketball for the school in Stillwater where wrestling is big.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re on top and you can get riding time, it takes twice as much energy if you&rsquo;re the low man in wrestling. ... It&rsquo;s exactly the way basketball is too,&rdquo; Self said. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re behind, it takes more energy, everything&rsquo;s magnified, it takes more effort. And when you&rsquo;re playing with the lead, obviously you&rsquo;re looser, everything&rsquo;s not life or death.&rdquo;

Kansas has gone from having one of the nation’s most experienced rosters to a much younger group without a proven paint presence.

Self assessment: Skidding No. 9 Kansas has little margin

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Lauri Markkanen had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the cold-shooting Charlotte Hornets 120-102 on Monday night.
The Hornets made only two 3-pointers, both by Terry Rozier, the fewest by an NBA team this season. Charlotte had 16 attempts beyond the arc, shooting 12.5%, while the Jazz made 16 of 40. The previous low for Charlotte this season was five 3s, most recently on Dec. 3 at Milwaukee.
&ldquo;We saw at halftime they weren&rsquo;t making their 3s, so our focus was just to protect the paint and take away what they wanted to do,&rdquo; Markkanen said.
Jordan Clarkson scored 18 points and Mike Conley added 14 for the Jazz, who have won three of four.
Rozier scored 23 points and Mason Plumlee had 18 for the Hornets, who were trying to win three straight games for the first time this season.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been inside-out all year. I believe we&rsquo;re like fourth or fifth in drives into the paint per game. We haven&rsquo;t shot the ball well from 3. Tonight we didn&rsquo;t get many 3s,&rdquo; Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said of his team, which ranks at the bottom of the league in 3-point shooting.
Charlotte&rsquo;s leading scorer, LaMelo Ball, missed his second game with ankle and wrist soreness. Dennis Smith Jr. had 15 points and nine assists for the Hornets.
Utah led by 10 after three quarters before going on an 18-4 run, punctuated by Walker Kessler&rsquo;s dunk, to make it 107-83 with 6:07 to play.
&ldquo;We let them dictate too much on the defensive end. I feel like we didn&rsquo;t get enough good shots and kind of let the game get away from us there,&rdquo; Charlotte&rsquo;s Gordon Hayward said.
The Jazz ran the Hornets off the 3-point line and conceded long 2-point jumpers and wild drives to the basket.
&ldquo;Our team really executed on the defensive end. Our guys did a great job of switching and disrupting their offense,&rdquo; Utah coach Will Hardy said.
Meanwhile, the Jazz used crisp passing to find open 3-point shooters and drives through the lane.
Eleven of Utah&rsquo;s first 15 field goals were 3s, while the Hornets missed their first seven tries from long range. The Jazz led 58-45 at halftime despite having made three fewer field goals.
&ldquo;My stuff comes off running into screens or off ball screens. Our team does a great job finding mismatches we like,&rdquo; said Markkanen, who also grabbed 11 rebounds. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t need to shoot it each time because if they double, I can find shooters for 3s.&rdquo;
The Jazz extended their home winning streak over the Hornets to 16.
JANUARY DOLDRUMS
The game was played without a lot of emotion and the Jazz led by double-digits most of the way.
&ldquo;Fatigue starts to set in around the 50-game mark and guys legs are getting heavy. The mental and the emotional fatigue is real. ... At this time of year, everything about the NBA is telling your brain to relax,&rdquo; Hardy said.
Players start making plans for the All-Star break and injuries start to add up, making for some unenthusiastic midseason games.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the weirdest part of the season right now. The trade deadline is coming and you&rsquo;ve played a lot of games ... so you your mind can get a little bit jumbled, when your body&rsquo;s already worn down a little bit,&rdquo; Conley said.
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TIP-INS
Hornets: Because of injuries, Hayward played just his fourth game at Utah since spending his first seven seasons with the Jazz. He finished with 11 points. ... Rozier made Charlotte&rsquo;s first 3-pointer of the game with 10:51 left in the third quarter. ... The Hornets outscored the Jazz 22-15 on the fast break.
Jazz: The 40-foot big screens above the court facing each sideline were inoperable. ... After the game, Clarkson gave his jersey to rapper YG, who sat courtside. ... Ochai Agbaji flipped in the air on an acrobatic dunk attempt in the third quarter and landed awkwardly. He returned with in the fourth with tape on his left wrist.
&nbsp;
</div>

Lauri Markkanen had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the cold-shooting Charlotte Hornets 120-102.

Markkanen scores 25 as Jazz beat Hornets, who make only 2 3s

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell doesn't have to score 71 points in a game for the Cleveland Cavaliers to be at their best.
On Sunday night, he didn't even have to be on the floor.
Mitchell and Darius Garland both scored 22 points to lead the Cavaliers, but it was a few bench players who helped Cleveland pull away in the fourth quarter and beat the banged-up Phoenix Suns 112-98.
&ldquo;It's one of the best things to see, because it's different guys from different areas,&rdquo; said Mitchell, who scored 71 points in a win over the Bulls on Monday. &ldquo;It's all defense. The effort, the intensity.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers won for the fourth time in five games. It's the second time this week the Cavs have topped the Suns after beating them 90-88 on Wednesday.
Struggling Phoenix &mdash; playing without its All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker &mdash; has dropped six in a row and nine of 10. The Suns now have a 20-21 record, which is the first time they have been under .500 all season.
The offensively challenged Suns failed to top 100 points for a fourth straight game.
&ldquo;We just stayed the course as best we could, then we got into the fourth and we just didn&rsquo;t have enough to withstand their defensive pressure,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;They kept us on our heels.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers had a comfortable lead for much of the game but the Suns cut their advantage to 80-79 lead heading into the final quarter. But a group of mostly reserves, led by Raul Neto and Lamar Stevens, helped Cleveland go on a 27-6 run to start the fourth and suck any drama out of the final minutes.
All five Cleveland starters scored in double figures along with Caris LeVert, who added 13 points off the bench.
Duane Washington led the Suns with 25 points off the bench. Mikal Bridges scored 15 and Deandre Ayton added 14. Ayton appeared to tweak his left ankle late in the game and gingerly walked off the court. He said it was probably a day-to-day injury.
&ldquo;We just lost a little bit of focus tonight in that fourth quarter," Ayton said.
Cleveland used a 14-0 run to take a 35-26 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Cavs led 57-54 at the break after shooting 60% from the field.
MITCHELL BACK TO UTAH
Mitchell makes his return to Utah on Tuesday night.
He was a three-time All-Star for the Jazz during his five-year tenure that was fairly successful, but also filled with drama. Mitchell and All-Star teammate Rudy Gobert could never seem to completely mesh.
Mitchell said he wasn't sure how Utah's crowd will react for his return. He was traded to Cleveland in September for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji and draft picks.
&ldquo;We did a lot of great things there,&rdquo; Mitchell said. "Obviously, we didn't accomplish our end goal. I don't know what the response will be, I hope it's cheers. There were a lot of positives despite not winning a championship. That's not easy. Only one team does it. We had five cracks at it and we missed.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, they're playing well. Lauri is playing out of his mind. They have a great group over there, great coaches. For me, we've just got to get another win on the road.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Mitchell returned to the lineup after missing Friday's game against the Nuggets. ... Garland was dealing with a sprained right thumb but still played. ,,, Shot 57.7% from the field.
Suns: Paul (hip), Booker (groin), Cameron Payne (foot) and forward Cam Johnson (knee) were out. ... Made 8 of 12 3-pointers (66.7%) in the first half. ... Hosted their 47th straight sellout crowd.
&nbsp;

Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland both scored 22 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers over the banged-up Phoenix Suns 112-98.

Garland, Mitchell lead Cavs past banged-up Suns 112-98

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Zach LaVine made three consecutive 3-pointers during a key fourth-quarter stretch and scored 36 points, DeMar DeRozan had 35 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz 126-118 on Saturday night.
After hitting 11 3s and scoring 41 points Friday night in a victory in Philadelphia, LaVine converted the three straights 3 to push the Bulls' lead to eight.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said he'd like LaVine to shoot 10 to 15 3-pointers every game.
&ldquo;I'll try if I can,&rdquo; LaVine said.
DeRozan passed Pau Gasol and Bob Pettit for 40th place on the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring list.
The Bulls have won three in a row to improve to 19-21. Utah dropped to 20-22 with its sixth loss in seven games.
&ldquo;We still got a ways to go," DeRozan said about his synergy with LaVine. &ldquo;That's the crazy part. We knew it was going to come at some point, understanding our spots and understanding moments in the game when it's time to be aggressive.&rdquo;
Former Bulls player Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 28 points, and Ochai Agbaji had 19.
Trailing 99-92, the Bulls went on an 11-2 run &mdash; led by two 3-pointers by Patrick Williams and a layup by 6-foot guard Coby White over the 7-foot Markkanen with 7:32 left.
The Bulls' rally stunted much of the momentum Utah built during a 40-point third quarter that featured Markkanen dunking over Vucevic.
&ldquo;The learning moment for our team is guys can make two or three hard shots in a row, and you still got to maintain your discipline to the game plan to play to the level of intensity you need on defense,&rdquo; Utah coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;You can't let three tough shots deflate you, and I felt that's what happened in those moments. Our energy level went down.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Jazz: Markkanen's breakout season sparked speculation as to why he couldn't blossom quicker during his four seasons with the Bulls. &ldquo;Everyone has their own growth period,&rdquo; said Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who coached Markkanen during his last season in Chicago (2020-21) before he was dealt to Cleveland as part of a three-team trade. Donovan citied Markkanen leaving Arizona after his freshman year and eventually blossoming through his experiences and skill set. &ldquo;I always a big fan of Lauri in my short period of time being with him,&rdquo; Donovan said.
Bulls: G Alex Caruso (right ankle sprain), G Javonte Green (right knee soreness) and C Tony Bradley (health and safety protocols) were out. Caruso was a game-time scratch.
&nbsp;

Zach LaVine scored 36 points, DeMar DeRozan had 35 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz 126-118

LaVine, DeRozan team to help Bulls beat Jazz, 126-118

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 49 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night that snapped a five-game skid.
Markkanen got out to a quick start with 18 points in the first quarter to help the Jazz to an early lead. Houston took the lead late in the third quarter, but Utah ended that quarter on a 10-0 run to go on top for good.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said it over and over again this year, it&rsquo;s just my teammates, the coaching staff, they put me in the right spots to succeed,&rdquo; Markkanen said. &ldquo;My teammates did a great job delivering me the ball and it was just finishing my shots.&rdquo;
An 8-2 run cut Utah&rsquo;s lead to five with about 5 minutes left. Jordan Clarkson hit a 3-pointer soon after that before a tip shot by Markkanen extended the lead to 117-107.
Jalen Green added a basket for Houston before Markkanen scored the next four points to start a 14-0 run by the Jazz that made it 131-109 and sent fans streaming for the exits.
Markkanen added consecutive 3-pointers at the end of the run. Players on the Utah bench stood and cheered as he hit both of them and they were disappointed when a last 3-point attempt that would have given him 50 points was off the mark.
&ldquo;Jordan said: &lsquo;Just go for 50,&rsquo;&rdquo; Markkanen said. &ldquo;And I know they were double-teaming me at the end, but I had to go for it. I&rsquo;m not really too worried I didn't get it, but it&rsquo;s great to see my teammates excited, like I&rsquo;m excited for them.&rdquo;
Green had 30 points and Kevin Porter Jr. added 23 for the Rockets, who dropped their sixth in a row.
Markkanen&rsquo;s highest-scoring game entering Thursday was 38, which he had achieved twice, most recently on Dec. 20 against Detroit. He made six 3-pointers and all 13 of his free throws Thursday night to eclipse his previous best games.
&ldquo;He's done such a good job of continuing to work on different ways he can impact the game offensively,&rdquo; Jazz coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just shown an understanding of how to play when teams try to take certain things away from him.&rdquo;
Coach Stephen Silas was disappointed in how many times the Rockets sent Markkanen to the line.
&ldquo;The free throws were the biggest part,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always the biggest part. When a guy gets a bunch of points, it&rsquo;s your ability to be disciplined and not foul him and put him on the line 13 times. That&rsquo;s usually how it works.&rdquo;
The Jazz were up by seven after a jump shot by Clarkson before a 11-3 spurt by the Rockets made it 86-85, giving them their first lead of the second half. Porter and Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate made consecutive 3s to cap that run and put Houston on top.
The Rockets weren&rsquo;t on top for long. Utah scored the last 10 points of the third quarter, with 3-pointers from Malik Beasley and Mike Conley, to take a 95-86 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Clarkson had 19 points&hellip; Conley had nine points and 11 assists. &hellip; Beasley scored 19 points off the bench.
Rockets: Tate had 11 points in his return after missing 31 games with right ankle soreness. &hellip; Alperen Sengun had 20 points and 14 rebounds. &hellip; Eric Gordon had 12 points.
ROOKIE BREAKOUT
Hardy raved about the performance of Ochai Agbaji, who was the 14th overall pick in last year's draft. He scored a career-high 11 points, with all of them coming in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;I have a lot of respect for Ochai, the way he's approached his work every day so far this season,&rdquo; Hardy said. &ldquo;It's really hard to do what Ochai just did and he delivered, stepped up big time for us, so we're very happy for him.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 49 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Markkanen has career-best 49 as Jazz down Rockets 131-114

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell wasn't seeking revenge.
He still has several close friends on the Utah Jazz, tight teammates he stays in touch with regularly on a group text.
On Monday night, Mitchell showed he's doing fine since leaving them.
The All-Star guard scored 23 points in 23 minutes in his first game against the Jazz since they traded Mitchell to Cleveland this summer and Jarrett Allen added 20 and 11 rebounds, leading the Cavaliers to a 122-99 win.
The Cavs have won four straight, improving the NBA's best home record to 15-2. The league's best defensive team clamped down on the Jazz, holding them to a season-low 39.1 shooting percentage.
For Mitchell, who spent five seasons with Utah before being dealt to Cleveland on Sept. 1 in the stunning blockbuster, the quality victory meant more than any personal satisfaction.
&ldquo;We did a lot of really good things collectively,&rdquo; he said. "Obviously, we shot the ball really well, but defensively holding a team like this, that can shoot the ball really well and can score, under 100 points. We did a lot of things we can point to and say this is what we want to be.&rdquo;
Mitchell said he was flooded with emotions going against the team that drafted him.
&ldquo;It was weird,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But it was fun.&rdquo;
The Jazz, who came close to trading Mitchell to the Knicks, instead sent the three-time All-Star to the Cavs in exchange for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, rookie Ochai Agbaji and three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029).
Mitchell's arrival has legitimized the Cavs, who barely missed the playoffs last season with the one of the league's youngest rosters. He's been everything Cleveland hoped, averaging 29.5 points per game while providing leadership.
He's only been in Cleveland for a few months, but Mitchell looks at home.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m comfortable,&rdquo; he said with a smile. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still trying to figure out the highways. But with this group, I feel like I&rsquo;ve been a part of them for a while. The city, the fans, the team, everyone has welcomed me with open arms. The fit was pretty seamless.&rdquo;
Darius Garland added 17 and Cedi Osman 22 (20 in the fourth during extended garbage time) for Cleveland, which shot a season-high 61.4% and opened a 23-point lead in the third. The Cavs coasted in perhaps its most complete game this season.
&ldquo;They kicked our ass,&rdquo; Jazz coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;They shot the ball unbelievably well from all three levels of the court. They play with great tempo, they bothered us with their physicality in the first half, which is what got us behind the eight ball.&rdquo;
Mitchell, who came in averaging 36.9 minutes, got to enjoy a fourth quarter relaxing on the bench.
&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t had one of these in a while,&rdquo; said Mitchell, who spent time after the game catching up with Utah's players, coaches and traveling party. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always good to get a break. I&rsquo;m not that old, but it&rsquo;s always good to put the minutes down.&rdquo;
Markkanen scored 24 &mdash; 22 in the first half &mdash; and Jordan Clarkson, yet another former Cavs player, added 23 for Utah, which has lost six straight on the road.
The Jazz are 5-15 since their surprising 12-1 start.
RUBIO UPDATE
Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio has scrimmaged with the team's G-League affiliate as he nears his return after season-ending knee surgery.
Although Rubio hasn't played, just having him around has been beneficial to Cleveland's young players.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a very rare group of people who have the presence that he has and that guys just want to be around and listen to," coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Ricky is that guy and they love to play with him even more.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Jazz: Sexton missed his sixth straight game with a strained hamstring. ... C Kelly Olynyk (left ankle sprain) missed his first game, leaving G Malik Beasley as the only Utah player to play in all 33. &hellip; G Nickeil Alexander-Walker had the game's wildest basket, blindly flinging the ball in over his head after he got stuck in the lane.
Cavaliers: Improved to 3-0 on a season-long, six-game homestand. ... Outscored the Jazz 29-2 in fastbreak points. ... F Lamar Stevens (right knee soreness) missed his second consecutive game. Stevens had started the previous eight, averaging 6.6 points, 5.9 rebounds while providing stellar defense.
&nbsp;

Donovon Mitchell scored 23 points and Jarrett Allen added 20 and 11 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to a 122-99 win over the Jazz.

Mitchell scores 23, Cavs blast Jazz, improve to 15-2 at home

One month into the 2022-23 NBA season, the Utah Jazz have exceeded all expectations. After trading Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O&rsquo;Neale and replacing head coach Quin Snyder with 34-year-old Will Hardy, Utah was expected to plummet down the standings and enter the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
Instead, the Jazz are 10-6, with wins over the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers among others. Utah currently has the NBA&rsquo;s seventh-best offense (scoring 111.4 points per 100 possessions) and 12th-best defense (allowing 108.7 points per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
They have a balanced attack, with six players averaging double-digit points: Lauri Markkanen (21.3), Jordan Clarkson (17.9), Collin Sexton (13.3), Kelly Olynyk (13.2), Malik Beasley (12.3) and Mike Conley (10.7). This team plays extremely hard and makes a ton of hustle plays.&nbsp;
And unlike the other franchises that were projected to tank entering this season, the Jazz aren&rsquo;t a super young team. Utah&rsquo;s roster has an average age of 25.86 years old, which is significantly older than the youngest teams in the league &ndash; the Oklahoma City Thunder (23.14), Houston Rockets (23.58), San Antonio Spurs (23.84) and Orlando Magic (23.94). While the Jazz are assembling an impressive young core, they&rsquo;ve gotten huge contributions from experienced players like Markkanen, Olynyk, Clarkson, Beasley, Sexton, Conley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Entering this week, Utah sat atop the Western Conference standings. However, after losing three-straight games, the Jazz have slid to fourth-place in the West.&nbsp;
Was Utah&rsquo;s early-season success a fluke or can they sustain this level of play going forward? Will they keep this core together or eventually trade away some of their veterans for additional draft picks and prospects? BasketballNews.com reached out to an anonymous NBA scout and picked their brain about Utah&rsquo;s impressive start to this season.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re off to such a hot start, and they&rsquo;ve got a lot of guys who are really confident,&rdquo; the anonymous NBA scout told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a big Jordan Clarkson guy and he has really emerged. He&rsquo;s always been a scorer, but I think he knows that he has to be good night in and night out and he has to lead the charge for this team. Lauri Markkanen is killing it, and I&rsquo;m really happy for him. This is what we thought Lauri Markkanen would be when the Bulls took him [No. 7 overall]. It took some time, but this is the guy we thought he might become. I think Kelly Olynyk is a great veteran, and so is Mike Conley. They have a solid bench with Collin Sexton. I&rsquo;m a Walker Kessler guy; I think he&rsquo;s actually going to be a really good big. And then they&rsquo;ve got Talen Horton-Tucker... When they acquired Ochai Agbaji and Leandro Bolmaro, I thought those guys would get an opportunity to play, but they really haven't gotten opportunities because there&rsquo;s so much depth! They have a lot of veterans who have been very productive.
&ldquo;I just feel they made a lot of nice moves, even though they weren&rsquo;t considered &lsquo;sexy.&rsquo; They weren&rsquo;t [additions] that many people thought would make this huge difference, but they&rsquo;re all playing really well together. I like their team, and I think they are coached really well. I think [their early success] is a testament to their coaching staff and the great job that they&rsquo;ve done.&rdquo;
Is this sustainable? That&rsquo;s the question that everyone is asking about this year&rsquo;s Jazz. The NBA scout thinks that Utah is for real.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s sustainable,&rdquo; said the NBA scout. &ldquo;They hear all of the noise [about tanking], and they heard it going into the year, but they&rsquo;ve got a bunch of guys on that roster who know how to compete and play hard, they&rsquo;ve got good leadership from their vets, they&rsquo;ve got a lot of talent and guys who can play, and they have a lot of guys who have faced adversity at some point in their career. They&rsquo;re just kind of built in a unique way.&nbsp;
&ldquo;As for what I&rsquo;ve seen from them, obviously they can score on you in bunches. They have multiple guys who can initiate offense. They have bigs who can stretch the floor. They have shooting. One area that really matters once you get to the playoffs is legit rim protection, so hopefully Walker Kessler can be that for them. I think there are a few areas to circle and keep tabs on, but they&rsquo;re playing really well. They play hard and bring so much energy.&rdquo;
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The scout had a ton of praise for Will Hardy, who is a first-time head coach.
&ldquo;I think the coaching staff deserves a ton of credit. I think there&rsquo;s a bunch of buy-in and trust,&rdquo; the anonymous NBA scout said. &ldquo;And when they have a deficit or they struggle in different phases, it seems like they always break through. They have a really good way of fighting through those struggles, and I think that&rsquo;s always a sign of a good team. It&rsquo;s a reason why they&rsquo;re one of the best teams in the league. They&rsquo;ve won close games, and they&rsquo;ve finished games where they didn&rsquo;t play well and found ways to win. I think that&rsquo;s a testament to the coaches and everyone over there.
&ldquo;You look at everything that went on over this offseason, losing Quin Snyder was a big deal; I think Quin Snyder is a great coach. But it can&rsquo;t be overlooked the job that Will is doing. Will is a great example of a young coach who got his opportunity and made the most of it. You look at how these guys respond to him and what he&rsquo;s done so far, it&rsquo;s really impressive. I think there&rsquo;s a lot of great young coaches and assistants out there who are emerging, and that should be a bigger story. I think it&rsquo;s a great thing. As much as we talk about the young talent in the league and how the NBA is in great hands, it can&rsquo;t be overstated how good these young coaches have been and Will is a great testament of that. There are so many young coaches who are showing that they really know what they are doing, and I think that&rsquo;s great for the league.&rdquo;
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Before this hot start, many people around the NBA expected the Jazz to continue moving their veterans for draft picks or young talent. The general consensus was that rival executives from playoff teams would be circling Conley, Clarkson and Olynyk like vultures, and that Utah would look to continue stockpiling draft capital. Now, is it possible that Danny Ainge and Co. decide to keep this core together and see if they can make a run? Or, given that these veterans have increased their trade value, is Ainge more likely to wheel-and-deal?
&ldquo;I think you ride it out with these guys because they&rsquo;re playing so well,&rdquo; the NBA scout said. &ldquo;Entering the year, I think there was a lot of thought around them having some movable players and movable assets. Knowing what they were doing and [how they were positioned] going into the year, it felt like this is just what Danny does. Now, the fact that they are winning games and this new coaching staff [is succeeding], you&rsquo;re building a culture. You build a culture by winning games. You can&rsquo;t overlook that in this process.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I know team-building is the bigger picture here, but they&rsquo;ve put themselves in a great position; I think what they got back in their trades &ndash; particularly in the Rudy trade &ndash; was just next level, and I was not expecting that. I think they&rsquo;re in a great spot and they&rsquo;re winning games &ndash; and that&rsquo;s still a good thing! I think too often, we shy away from teams winning games to &lsquo;rebuild,&rsquo; but it&rsquo;s not a bad thing to continue winning games and build your culture.&rdquo;
Only time will tell whether the Jazz can keep this up, but there&rsquo;s no question that they have been a fun story and pleasant surprise in recent weeks.

The Jazz are the NBA's biggest surprise. Alex Kennedy talks to an NBA scout about Utah's hot start and whether it's sustainable.