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Lauri Markkanen and John Collins had big nights to help the Utah Jazz snap a three-game losing streak with a 123-108 road win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.
Markkanen scored 29 points, sinking six 3-pointers, and Collins totaled 22 points and 16 rebounds as Utah improved to 1-2 on its six-game road trip.
The Wizards took their sixth consecutive loss and 12th in 13 games on the same day that the organization relieved Wes Unseld Jr. of his coaching duties and named top assistant Brian Keefe to be interim head coach.
Unseld, who guided the team to a 7-36 start, will remain with the Wizards in a front office position. The team will conduct a coaching search in the offseason.
Kyle Kuzma led Washington with 26 points and added six rebounds and five assists. Jordan Poole scored 18 points, Daniel Gafford and Deni Avdija each had 13 points, and Tyus Jones dished out 14 assists while scoring 12 points.
Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk each added 19 points off the bench for Utah, which shot 51.5 percent from the field. The Jazz also hit 13 of 31 (41.9 percent) from 3-point range.
The game started positively for Washington. Kuzma scored six quick points and a Poole 3-pointer put the Wizards up 13-4.
Utah quickly erased the deficit and took a 17-15 lead after 3s by Simone Fontecchio and Markkanen sparked a 13-2 run.
Kris Dunn soon ignited the Jazz on a 14-0 spurt with back-to-back inside buckets, followed by two baskets apiece by Markkanen and Fontecchio.
Washington used a 9-0 run late in the first half to pull within five, but Sexton hit a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining to send the Jazz into the locker room ahead 64-56.
The Jazz dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Wizards 34-22 to snag a 20-point lead.
More must-reads:
- LeBron James proposes an intriguing NBA change
- NBA names Kyle Filipowski Summer League MVP, announces All-SL teams
- The 'NBA all-time 50-point game leaders' quiz
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Marcus Smart signing could spell disaster for LeBron James, Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers brought in some toughness and defensive versatility with the addition of Marcus Smart. However, they're now going to have to play financial Jenga. As reported by Bryan Toporek of Silver Screen and Roll, they won't have a lot of money to make any more moves. "After waiving (Shake) Milton and (Jordan) Goodwin and signing Smart, the Lakers now sit $1.1 million below the first apron. Since they’re hard-capped, they cannot cross the first apron under any circumstance between now and June 30, 2026," Toporek wrote. As a result, the Lakers' best hope for help will come once the buyout market starts to take shape. "Since they’re only $1.1 million under the first apron, they currently don’t have enough room below the hard cap to sign anyone to even a veteran-minimum contract. They’d have to shed salary in a trade before they can make another free-agent signing," he added. That's not necessarily what LeBron James might want to hear. His agent, Rich Paul, claimed that he wanted to pursue another championship and that they would assess the team's roster to determine his future. This team got marginally better, but it still needs to add a defensive-minded big man, since JJ Redick didn't seem to trust Jaxson Hayes in the playoffs last season. The Western Conference is as stacked as it's ever been, and it will take more than what the Lakers have to keep up with other powerhouses. So, unless Rob Pelinka works his magic with another shocking trade, James will have to weigh all of his options.
WNBA All-Star Game ratings paint a troubling picture
WNBA players sent a message to the league with T-shirts they wore ahead of the All-Star Game on Saturday night, but the ratings for the game did not exactly strengthen their stance. Prior to the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., Caitlin Clark and other players warmed up in shirts that said “Pay us what you owe us” across the front. The message had to do with the current state of collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the WNBA and WNBA Player’s Association. Unfortunately for the players, the television ratings for the game were not very good. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that the WNBA All-Star Game drew 2.19 million viewers on ABC, which was down roughly 36% from a year ago. Last year’s game featured the WNBA All-Stars against the Team USA squad that was preparing to compete in the Summer Olympics in Paris. The dip in ratings is likely another example of the type of impact Clark has had on the WNBA. Although she was a team captain for this year’s All-Star Game, Clark did not play due to a groin injury. Clark played in last year’s game for the All-Star side, as she did not make the Team USA Olympic roster. Many fans were outraged that she was snubbed from the Olympic team, which added an element of intrigue to the All-Star Game. There is no way of knowing for certain whether more fans would have watched the All-Star Game on Saturday night had Clark played. It is a safe guess, however, especially when you look at some recent trends for the league.
Is Giants' Joe Schoen already having second thoughts about Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders decision?
The New York Giants were routinely linked with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Giants ultimately traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25. For a piece published on Monday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News revisited how Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll ended up with Dart instead of Sanders earlier this year. "Members of the Giants’ staff had fawned over Shedeur Sanders," Leonard wrote. "Giants brass had spent a lot more time with Sanders during the fall. Then, Daboll’s increased participation after the NFL season steered the process in a different direction." Sanders allegedly had a rough visit with Daboll ahead of the draft, and a report from early May revealed that "Sanders openly acknowledged during the predraft process that he didn't hit it off with Giants coaches." A different story claimed that Schoen "shifted his preference to Dart this spring as head coach Brian Daboll warmed to Dart as a player and person and Schoen rounded out his own evaluation" before the draft got underway. That said, Schoen raised some eyebrows when he said during a May interview that he knew the club would select Dart over Sanders as of "the week of the draft." Schoen also said the decision was the result of a "collaborative process." According to Leonard, those comments were seen by some as "not exactly a firm endorsement of a player standing out above the rest" as it pertains to the quarterbacks. "...Schoen’s lukewarm rhetoric and reluctance to stick his neck out about Dart caught the attention of some people around the league," Leonard added. "And it has put the rookie in a strange position: trying to validate support that almost sounds conditional." Meanwhile, Sanders fell to the draft's fifth round before the Cleveland Browns traded up to grab him at selection No. 144. As of Monday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had Sanders (+870 odds) and Dart (+1060 odds) as significant betting underdogs to serve as Week 1 starters in September. Cleveland is expected to go with Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett for its regular-season opener, while Russell Wilson is on track to start for the Giants against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. In short, fans may have to wait a long time to learn if Schoen has any buyer's remorse about possibly being talked into drafting Dart when Sanders was on the board.
Deion Sanders says he's not 'all the way recovered' amid health issue
It seems like it might be a little longer before Deion Sanders can join the rest of his Colorado coaching staff. In a video recently posted by his son, Deion Sanders Jr, the NFL legend admitted that he's not yet fully recovered from his undisclosed health issue. “You know I’m still going through something,” the head coach said. “I ain’t all the way recovered.” Almost two weeks ago, Sanders took the stage at Big 12 media day, but he didn't want to address his health issues. “I’m not here to talk about my health,” Sanders said. “I’m here to talk about my team.” According to the Athletic, Sanders, who's recovering in his home in Texas, has been in close contact with his coaching staff. Colorado athletic director Rick George also said that Sanders would "probably" report to campus within the next two weeks, per the Athletic. The former Super Bowl winner has a long history of health concerns. He had two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clots, and he went under the knife again in 2023 after reportedly dealing with some excruciating pain. The Buffaloes are transitioning into the post-Shedeur Sanders/Travis Hunter era and looking to build from last year's 9-4 record and big win at the Alamo Bowl.
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