Utah News

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM

PROVO, Utah (AP) — The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus was back in court Friday as a state judge weighs whether certain documents and proceedings should be open to the public.

The Utah Jazz are dealing with multiple injuries this season and are in need of players to fill the roster to finish the season. Here is a list of the Jazz’s most recent transactions.

Utah Jazz waive Mo Bamba

According to Kevin Reynolds, the Utah Jazz have waived Mo Bamba before the end of his 10-day contract because of illness.

It’s too bad that things didn’t work out with Bamba, who will always draw interest with his incredible physical tools. But like with all other teams he’s been on, he didn’t leave any sort of lasting impression and the Jazz are moving on.

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Utah Jazz sign Bez Mbeng alongside Andersson Garcia

We got the debut of Andersson Garcia yesterday, who had signed a 10-day contract right before the game.

It looks like with the release of Mo Bamba, the Jazz are also signing Bez Mbeng.

Mbeng is a defensive standout from Yale who adds to the defensive mentality that Garcia appears to bring.

With the injury to Keyonte George, Utah needs more depth, and they’re adding it with Garcia and Mbeng. It appears the Jazz have found a real piece in Blake Hinson. Will they find another in one of these additions?

Utah State used a dominant run late in the first half and a strong performance from Mason Falslev to defeat UNLV 80-60 in the Mountain West quarterfinal on Thursday.

Thomas & Mack Center, the home of the UNLV Rebels, was filled with Utah State students flown in on the school’s dime, and their noise fueled Utah State’s energy throughout the game and helped them seize momentum.

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“It should be a home-field advantage, right here in Las Vegas,” Falslev said. “You look out there, and there’s a lot of Aggie blue, the chants, the noise, you know, energy’s contagious.”

Despite the crowd working against them, the Rebels kept things competitive early, despite sloppy play from both teams. Turnovers were a constant for both squads in the opening minutes, with the Aggies and Rebels struggling to find rhythm.

UNLV took an early lead on contributions from Jacob Bannarbie and Kimani Hamilton. Still, Falslev took over near the end of the first half, scoring 17 points and spreading his rhythm and energy throughout the rest of the team.

“The game plan was not to settle,” Falslev said. “Go at them, get into the paint and just make the right plays.”

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The Aggies closed the half on a 14-2 run to build a 37-23 halftime lead, completely flipping momentum to their side after struggling to shoot at the start of the game. Utah State finished the night shooting 50.9% and shot 40% from deep.

Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun said that run was the ultimate deciding factor in the game.

”College basketball is a game of runs,” Calhoun said. “When kids see the ball go through the basket, their intensity defensively picks up. The guy’s energy level just raised.”

Falslev led the team in scoring with 24 points and nine rebounds while shooting an efficient 10-of-16 from the floor.

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MJ Collins Jr. also had himself a great night, scoring 20 points while adding four assists and three steals. Drake Allen added six points and five assists and was huge in helping Utah State grow its lead at the start of the second half.

Allen scored an at-one in the first few minutes of the second half, and a few possessions later dunked in transition on a breakaway. After those big plays, the Aggies remained in control for the rest of the night.

The Rebels attempted to make a comeback effort midway through the half, sparked by a skyscraping dunk from Tyrin Jones and a three-pointer from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, which cut the deficit to 11. Gibbs-Lawhorn was noticeably quiet in the first half, only scoring two points in the first half, but he still led UNLV with 17 points.

As the Rebels were crawling back, tensions on the floor began to rise. After Falslev fell to the court on a rebound attempt, players from both teams exchanged some words. Hamilton was visibly frustrated and had to be held back by his teammates. Officials assessed technical fouls to both Hamilton and Garry Clark for Utah State.

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”It’s a physical game. It’s an emotional game,” Allen said. “Sometimes you get riled up.”

The intensity was especially high because Utah State had lost to UNLV twice in the regular season.

“There’s a saying that it’s hard to beat a team three times,” Collins said. “We knew what it meant not only to us, but the coaches too.”

A little after the altercation, Hamilton fouled out with just over nine minutes remaining, and Utah State responded with another big scoring run to put the game completely out of reach.

A late steal and breakaway dunk from Collins Jr. pushed the Aggies’ lead past 20 points and sealed the deal.

Utah State’s late first-half surge was the turning point that the Aggies needed to control the second half and secure an 80-60 victory to advance to the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament.

SALT LAKE CITY — Connor Bedard scored off a rebound off a post at 3:57 of overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-2 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night.

Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi and Frank Nazar each had a goal and an assist and Spencer Knight stopped 29 shots to help the Hawks (25-29-11) sweep the season series in their third meeting with the Mammoth in 12 days. They won 4-0 on March 1 in Salt Lake City and 3-2 in overtime Monday at the United Center.

In the 3-on-3 overtime Thursday, Alex Vlasic blasted a shot off the post, Bedard controlled the rebound and snapped it into the net. The young star then pounded on the glass in celebration after his 27th goal of the season.

Dylan Geunther and JJ Peterka scored for the Mammoth, and Karel Vejmelka made 20 saves. The Mammoth (34-26-6) hold the first wild card in the Western Conference — six points ahead of the San Jose Sharks.

Bertuzzi tied it at 1 on a 4-on-3 power play 2:18 into the third period for his team-best 28th goal. He leads the NHL with 10 road power-play goals.

Nazar gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead at 9:17 with his 10th goal of the season to extend his points streak to a career-best five games. Peterka tied it with 6:15 remaining.

Guenther opened the scoring with his 31st at 5:47 of the second.

Up next

• Hawks: at Vegas on Saturday night.
• Mammoth: vs. Penguins on Saturday night.

The New York Knicks coaches know exactly what they have in Jordan Clarkson. The 33-year-old has long established himself as one of the league’s premier hired guns — a guy who can bring quick points, high energy and hot streaks. That hasn’t been the case for the majority of this season, however.

The free agent signing has struggled to find his footing and mostly watched from the bench over the last few weeks. Prior to last night in Utah, the Knicks played 11 games since the All-Star break and Clarkson was a DNP-CD six times. He had only seen the court for 27 minutes, most of which have come during this recent West Coast road trip.

So of course, in his return to Salt Lake City, Clarkson scored a season high 27 points on 10 of 15 from the field in 26 minutes – his most since Christmas. He knocked down three triples, snagged five offensive rebounds and was +19. The 2021 Sixth Man of the Year also received a video tribute in the first quarter and a loud ovation from the fans in Utah, who got to live the Clarkson experience for five-plus seasons.

“It’s not the first time I’ve been hot in this building,” Clarkson told MSG Networks after the 134-117 victory. “I’m just glad it happened here. I love this city.”

The Knicks trailed by nine points at halftime and it was the jolt Clarkson provided that swung the game. He was named the defensive player of the game for the second time this season by coach Mike Brown. He’s been a good teammate, true professional and showed the importance of staying ready.

“It’s who he is. He comes in and works every single day,” Jalen Brunson told Steve Popper of Newsday. “Love him. Example for anybody: Doesn’t matter where you are in your career things may not be going your way and continue to work and persevere.”

Accepting a diminished role isn’t easy, especially for someone who’s made more than $190 million and is considered one of the best backups to ever do it. There’s been plenty of Clarkson chucking up early-in-the-shot-clock bricks on night’s he’s not his old microwavable self. He’s averaging a career low 17.7 minutes and 8.6 points while shooting an unsightly 32.8% from long range.

The team’s elder statesman opened the season as the first Knicks guard off the bench and played in each of the first 44 games, including being a big part of New York’s comeback against San Antonio in the NBA Cup Championship. But since the Knicks 114-97 loss to Dallas on Martin Luther King Day, Clarkson has mostly fallen out of the rotation.

When his shots aren’t falling there’s not much else he brings to the table. The 12-year pro isn’t elite from long distance and is a defensive sieve. Clarkson shoots with no conscience, and he’ll keep shooting in hopes of getting hot. That’s what makes him such a fun and unique player, after all.

Clarkson has never been an All-Star or darling among the analytic community. He’s streaky as they come and has started less than a third of his career games. But the 6-foot-3 combo guard has come to define the modern sixth-man specialist archetype by feasting against opposing second units. In 809 career games with the Lakers, Cavaliers, Jazz and Knicks, he’s averaged 15.5 points.

Clarkson Has A Long Track Record Of Getting Buckets

His flashy playmaking and ability to hit contested shots has made Clarkson one of the league’s most valuable players off the bench since being drafted 46th overall in 2014. Earlier this season, the Filipino sniper surpassed San Antonio legend Manu Ginobili to move into seventh place all-time among scorers off the bench. Only Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford, Dell Curry, Eddie Johnson, Ricky Pierce and Thurl Bailey have more bench buckets.

The trade deadline acquisition of Jose Alvarado further moved Clarkson down New York’s depth chart. The former Pelican has had his own struggles and I can’t imagine his spot in the rotation is very secure considering the punch Clarkson has brought in recent days. The cagey veteran brings an element of unpredictability and fight that gives the bench a different look.

There’s been just a handful of players that have embraced a part-time role yet have the capability to change a game the way Clarkson has. We will see if the homecoming outburst against one of the worst team’s in basketball means he’s back in the rotation. Either way, he’ll be ready.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Attorney General Derek Brown assured Utah won’t back down from pursuing litigation over Live Nation and Ticketmaster alleged monopoly, despite the U.S. Department of Justice’s settlement.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement against the ticket giants on Monday, but Utah’s Attorney General Derek Brown confirmed Utah will continue to fight against them Wednesday morning.

“For years, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have made it harder for Utahns to see the artists they love by driving up ticket prices and squeezing out the competition. As Utah’s Attorney General, I’m committed to securing the best outcome possible for Utah consumers who have been forced to pay too much at Live Nation and Ticketmaster venues,” Brown said.

Judge urges states to settle Live Nation claims after US strikes deal but states say no chance

Utah joined forces with the U.S. Department of Justice along with 38 other states to file a lawsuit against Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster. The states believe the companies dominated the live entertainment industry to skyrocket ticket prices and limit competition. Their dominance allegedly includes artist management, concert promotion, venue ownership, and ticketing.

Utah argues that Live Nation is using unfair practices to maintain dominance over the industry. Furthermore, the practices used by Live Nation allegedly include buying rivals, tying artists’ use of promotion services to amphitheaters and locking into long-term contracts with venues, which, in turn, blocks outside competition.

In response to the alleged unfair practices, the Office of the Attorney General says, “The result has been higher ticket prices, numerous additional fees, and fewer affordable, transparent ticket options for Utah families. “

Justice Dept. and Live Nation reach settlement over Ticketmaster illegal monopoly case

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Utah residents alone spent over $400 million on live entertainment in 2024.

The jury trial commenced last week and was scheduled to continue for another four weeks in the Southern District of New York. The Office of the Attorney General stresses their commitment to bring fairness and protection to industry fans within Utah.

States joining Utah in this litigation include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

Sales taxes expected to bring in a total of $88 million to state and local governments in Utah won’t be charged on tickets for the 2034 Winter Games under a bill passed during this year’s just-concluded state legislative session.

But state and local governments should count on recouping the lost revenue, according to the sponsor of HB537, Rep. Jon Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove, the House chairman of the Legislature’s Olympic oversight committee.

Just how that will work has yet to be decided, since the bill still awaiting action by Gov. Spencer Cox only deals with the exemption for the privately funded, nonprofit Olympic organizing committee.

“I can’t answer that with a full, ‘Here’s what it’s going to be’ right now. But I can say that because of the relations we have with the organizing committee, I think we’ll be OK,” Hawkins told the Deseret News.

The original version of the bill authorized what’s formally known as the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to “charge a government Olympic services recovery fee” to cover state and local public safety costs.

That fee, the original bill stated, could not exceed the combined state and local sales tax rate collected where the organizing committee is headquartered, Salt Lake City, and could be collected on tickets, hospitality packages or merchandise sold by organizers or their affiliates.

“We took it out because we wanted to be able to work that out in finer detail,” Hawkins said, noting organizers were in Italy for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games during much of the legislative session.

Instead, language was added to exempt the organizing committee from sales tax.

“This was something that, it’s kind of not a heavy lift to do, and especially while the team was in Milan focusing on other things, we could do it pretty quickly and simply,” said Hawkins, who also spent time in Italy observing Games preparations.

Will there be fees added to Utah’s Olympic tickets in 2034?

Former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, now the CEO of the organizing committee, said no decision has been made yet about charging a separate fee on the sale of tickets and hospitality packages.

Wilson said the amount that Olympic organizers anticipate needing to reimburse state and local governments for public safety services in 2034 as part of their $4 billion budget will be close to what would have been raised by collecting sales taxes.

“We may charge a fee on top of our tickets to offset those costs,” he said. “We’ll make that decision probably in about four years if we’re going to do that and what that would look like. What we don’t want is to collect and remit sales taxes.”

Without the exemption, Wilson said tickets sold through a third-party vendor would be subject to sales taxes. He said a sales tax exemption may also be sought for Olympic merchandise, such as T-shirts and plush mascot toys.

Organizers have long committed to relying on private sources of funding rather than state or local revenues. Money will come largely from the sale of broadcast rights, sponsorships and tickets, with tickets accounting for 30% of projected revenues.

“We have to pay for the services, regardless of how much we generate,” Wilson said.

What lawmakers said about exempting Olympic tickets from sales tax

Hawkins’ bill easily passed in both the House and the Senate.

Still, a few lawmakers had questions about giving up what fiscal analysts estimated would be $58 million that would have been collected by the state, plus another $30 million by local entities.

During debate on the House floor, Rep. Nicholeen Peck, R-Tooele, said she wanted “to make sure I’m understanding that the people rolling out the red carpet for the Olympics are not going to be thrown under the financial bus.”

Sen. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, expressed a similar sentiment when the bill was heard in a Senate committee. He suggested in the future, legislation may be needed to require Olympic organizers to come up with at least what the sales tax would have generated.

“I just want to make sure that we’re not coming out behind despite spending billions of dollars getting ready,” Brammer said. “But I don’t necessarily want us to come out ahead, either, in that sense. I just want to make sure we’re protecting the state.”

Hawkins told the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee members he believes organizers are well aware of that concern.

“Obviously, they have to make their plans,” he said. “But the idea is to increase the price of a ticket with that fee commensurate to the sales tax rate.”

Were tickets to Utah’s 2002 Olympics taxed?

Taxing Olympic ticket sales was a much more contentious issue ahead of Utah’s last Winter Games, in 2002.

In 1998, the Utah Legislature approved imposing sales taxes on tickets, despite opposition by what was then known as the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, or SLOC, which claimed the added costs could affect attendance and reduce revenues.

Lawmakers at the time said they needed to close a “loophole” they warned was already being exploited because sales taxes weren’t being collected on merchandise sales at SLOC’s downtown headquarters.

The larger issue was the growing awareness that state and local governments would need to provide public safety and other services at the Winter Games and somebody would have to foot the bill.

By 2000, though, lawmakers had removed the sales tax on tickets after a deal had been worked out with what was also a privately funded organizing committee to use the $13 million that would have been paid in sales taxes to offset public safety costs.

Although the federal government will be in charge of security at the Olympics and pick up much of the tab, organizers plan to pay state and local governments for everything from using police officers to direct traffic at venues to snow removal.

Wilson said contracts for state and local services won’t be negotiated until a year or two before the start of the Winter Games because organizers “want to be making these decisions with the leaders that will be implementing them.”

It’s Utah taxpayers who are on the hook for any budget shortfalls, as the guarantor in the International Olympic Committee’s contract for hosting a second Winter Games that was signed by the governor in 2024.

Wilson said that means organizers must work toward meeting their budget objectives, even though the Games are years away.

“I’ve got a list that we’re trying to check off. This was one that was simple to do, and we had legislative enthusiasm and support to work on it, so we moved forward,” he said, adding, “We’re just chipping away at the things we can.”

Did anyone else have a good Tuesday afternoon? What did you say? ██ ███████ dropping █ points? I have no idea what you’re implying. You’re speaking nonsense. Over here, we’re only focused on things that are actually real and matter, such as Utah staying inside the top five so they can have the best chance at keeping their pick. And that mindset begins tonight, as the third-seeded Knicks come to town looking to create some separation between them and the lower dwellers in the East. Albeit I did crack a smile at seeing Blake Hinson hit a dagger shot over Draymond Green Monday night, that win crossed some dangerous territory for Utah; the chosen children Mavs are only one game behind the Jazz in the Tankathon standings. As we all know, they are the most deserving of AJ Dybantsa after only being in the finals a pitiful two years ago.

It’s a perilous trajectory for Utah, considering the rebuild has yielded only one top-five pick and a couple of late lottery picks. Now they must call a forfeit against a cold-streaking Knicks team that has dropped three of their last four matches. New York has practically been playing on dead legs after playing 12 playoff contenders in their last 16 games. And they’ve mirrored a lot of the Jazz’s mistakes — during that stretch, they’ve recorded a higher turnover percentage (16.1%) than the founding fathers of poor ball security, as well as 33.6% three-point percentage that ranks 22nd in the league.

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This is a team that threw in all their future chips for Mikal Bridges, who is literally being played off the floor by rookies. He’s been the weakest link of the Nova Knicks trio, scoring his fewest points per game since 2022 (15.2). They may chow down on the actively trying to lose each possession Jazz if they’d like, none of this concerns the front office, who have been throwing out lineups composed of guys on two-way contracts and guys fighting for their next contract.

Case in point, Monday night in the Delta Center, where the closing lineup consisted of Cody Williams, Elijah Harkless, John Konchar, Blake Hinson and Kyle Filipowski. Keyonte George played through two and a half quarters before unfortunately falling ill to cholera. Brice Sensabaugh had 21 points through three quarters before stubbing his pinky toe while walking back to the bench.

But what all eyes are actually falling on is the return of The Flamethrower. JC. Sixx. Manila Man. All the nicknames I could find online. Jordan Clarkson is welcomed home in the Delta Center for the first time since his departure in the offseason. We saw a glimpse of him in the Knicks orange when the Jazz visited them back in December, but now it’s really gonna hit home Though he’s been shackled to the Knicks bench, rarely playing over 10 minutes a game, Mike Brown would be a cruel and sickened man not to give him extended runtime against the city that embraced him with open arms for over six years.

The Knicks are going to hilariously beat them down, or at least in theory — no one is sure what Blake Hinson is capable of as of this moment. The Jazz are once again going to see how long they can get away with using the illness label on any player capable of contributing more than a single win share. Keyonte gets hit with a big fat questionable on the injury report, John Konchar is uncertain with left calf soreness, but Ace and Collier rejoin the team.

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ESPN gives the Jazz a 13.5% chance to win. That’s a little higher than what I’m comfortable with, but one man’s toxic sludge is another man’s potpourri. It’s tough to say out loud that your team needs to be as bad as possible, but this is more about future survival in a brutal Western Conference than anything else.

Injury Report

Jazz:

QUESTIONABLE – Keyonte George (illness), John Konchar (left calf soreness)

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (right hip impingement), Jusuf Nurkic (nose surgery), Jaren Jackson Jr. (left knee surgery), Walker Kessler (left shoulder surgery)

Knicks:

QUESTIONABLE – Josh Hart (left knee soreness)

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OUT – Miles McBride (hernia surgery)

How to watch:

Who: Utah Jazz (20-45) vs. New York Knicks (41-25

When: March 11th, 6:00PM Mountain Time

Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City

Channel: Peacock, Jazz+, KJZZ

Radio: 97.5/1280 The Zone