The Utah Jazz second unit picked up during Wednesday's season-opening win over Oklahoma City right where it left off last season. The scoring effort was led by Jordan Clarkson, who dropped 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting, while Joe Ingles knocked down four threes as he compiled 14 points. Clarkson, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, contributed little else to the stat sheet, whereas Ingles pitched in three boards and three assists across his 26 minutes. Both figure to retain their value from last season, with the caveat of having an increased ceiling should any member of the starting backcourt miss time. Next on their docket is a matchup Friday against a Kings defense that was highly exploitable from a fantasy perspective last season.

Utah Jazz guard/forward Joe Ingles will be resting for the team's preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. Ingles logged 20 minutes off the bench in the team's previous game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. He shot 2-for-5 from the field with all of his shots being three-point attempts. He tallied six points, four assists and two rebounds in the game. There has been no word yet as to whether other Jazz regulars like Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert are resting. However, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see at least a few others taking the day off as well.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Once again, the Utah Jazz endured a postseason collapse. Making an early exit from the NBA playoffs stung much more this time. The top-seeded Jazz fell to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games after blowing a 2-0 series lead. Injuries to All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley, coupled with defensive deficiencies exposed by the Clippers’ small-ball lineups, took down a Utah team after a dominating in the regular season. For a team that surrendered a 3-1 series lead to Denver a season earlier, this latest postseason setback left an extra bitter taste. “This hurts more than last year because we were up again and lost again,” Mitchell said. “This is going to eat at me. Even when I go to the grocery store, I’m going to be thinking about it.” Mitchell took another step forward during the postseason as a rising superstar for the Jazz, even while playing through pain after reinjuring his right ankle early in the series against the Clippers. The two-time NBA all-star missed... [More]

The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves in familiar territory — down 2-0 in their second straight playoff series and seeing one player outplay their two superstars. While the Clippers proved they could work their way out of a deep hole before, the challenges are steeper as they prepare to face the Utah Jazz on Saturday as the scene shifts to Staples Center for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal series. The downtown Los Angeles court, which has been the franchise's home since 1999, has not given them any advantages when it comes to the postseason. They have lost nine of their last 11 home playoff games. Last Sunday's 126-111 victory over Dallas in Game 7 snapped a eight-game home playoff losing streak. Paul George said after Thursday night's 117-111 loss that they are approaching this two-game deficit the same way they approached being down to Dallas. “We still feel we have a lot of possessions that we can clean up and a lot of possessions that are hurting us that’s our fault,”... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The kids are having all kinds of fun at Walt Disney World.Donovan Mitchell, just 23 years old, opened the NBA playoffs with 57 points, third-most in history.Luka Doncic, only 21, scored 42, the best postseason debut the league had ever seen.They did everything but win.Numbers have been eye-popping all over the bubble, with individual players and sometimes entire teams pouring it on like never before. There’s no indication so far that’s going to change in the postseason. “In some ways I don’t know if it’s more competitive, but it’s competitive out there,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers, whose team withstood Doncic’s debut to beat Dallas in Game 1.“I think because everyone in the bubble has confidence right now because they put the work in, so that’s what’s going to make it hard.”The thought was always that defenses tightened up come playoff time, with the pace of the game slowing down and more adjustments being made as teams familiarize themselves with an opponent... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Zion Williamson is set to make his NBA debut, which will bring plenty of excitement to New Orleans.It will also bring some challenges to coach Alvin Gentry.That's what Philadelphia coach Brett Brown learned from his experiences when the wait for a franchise star was finally over.“It’s always an excitement for me," Brown said. “There is things that happen that as a coach as I remember ... that impacts kind of everything." Brown had to wait out injury-delayed NBA debuts for both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Embiid, the No. 3 pick in 2014, missed what would have been his first two NBA seasons. Simmons, the top pick in 2016, sat out his first season. Both players had foot injuries. When they did return, at least it was at the start of the season. When Williamson debuts Wednesday against San Antonio in a game that was added to the national TV schedule, the Pelicans will be trying to fit the No. 1 pick in at midseason to a team that has been playing well lately without him. And... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Add Miami's Tyler Herro to the list of rookies who look ready for the regular season.Herro scored Miami's first 14 points on Monday night, going 5 for 5 in that stretch, and finished with 23 points in a 120-87 Heat victory over the Atlanta Hawks.Through three games in this preseason, Herro — the No. 13 pick in this year's draft — is shooting 18 for 33 from the field for 49 points."The kid can play," Heat assistant coach Malik Allen said in a televised halftime interview. "He has a confidence but he's a student of the game, he's smart, he's an extremely quick learner and you're seeing that."Among those taken in June's draft, some have wasted no time in announcing their presence to the NBA world.New Orleans' Zion Williamson, the No. 1 pick, is averaging 23.3 points and shooting 71% in the Pelicans' four preseason games — all wins. Ja Morant, the No. 2 pick for Memphis, is among the league's assist leaders in exhibition season with 23 in his first three games.No. 3 pick RJ Barrett... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Add Miami's Tyler Herro to the list of rookies who look ready for the regular season.Herro scored Miami's first 14 points on Monday night, going 5 for 5 in that stretch, and finished with 23 points in a 120-87 Heat victory over the Atlanta Hawks.Through three games in this preseason, Herro — the No. 13 pick in this year's draft — is shooting 18 for 33 from the field for 49 points."The kid can play," Heat assistant coach Malik Allen said in a televised halftime interview. "He has a confidence but he's a student of the game, he's smart, he's an extremely quick learner and you're seeing that."Among those taken in June's draft, some have wasted no time in announcing their presence to the NBA world.New Orleans' Zion Williamson, the No. 1 pick, is averaging 23.3 points and shooting 71% in the Pelicans' four preseason games — all wins. Ja Morant, the No. 2 pick for Memphis, is among the league's assist leaders in exhibition season with 23 in his first three games.No. 3 pick RJ Barrett... [More]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah changed the entire dynamic of its backcourt after acquiring veteran point guard Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies in July. Will it be enough to turn the Jazz into an NBA championship contender?That's what Utah is banking on heading into the 2019-20 season. Conley joins rising star Donovan Mitchell to form what could be one of the league's more potent backcourt duos in the season ahead.Mitchell averaged 23.8 points and 4.2 assists in his second season, but struggled at times with his scoring efficiency. Conley promises to relieve some of the playmaking burden that Mitchell felt at times as an NBA sophomore."Mike Conley is an elite point guard," Quin Snyder said at the team's media day on Monday. "When I say elite that manifests in a lot of different ways. Certainly on the court, some of the things he does and the feel he has for the game and for players around him is really unique. He impacts the game."Conley is one of the league's most efficient point guards... [More]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah changed the entire dynamic of its backcourt after acquiring veteran point guard Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies in July. Will it be enough to turn the Jazz into an NBA championship contender?That's what Utah is banking on heading into the 2019-20 season. Conley joins rising star Donovan Mitchell to form what could be one of the league's more potent backcourt duos in the season ahead.Mitchell averaged 23.8 points and 4.2 assists in his second season, but struggled at times with his scoring efficiency. Conley promises to relieve some of the playmaking burden that Mitchell felt at times as an NBA sophomore."Mike Conley is an elite point guard," Quin Snyder said at the team's media day on Monday. "When I say elite that manifests in a lot of different ways. Certainly on the court, some of the things he does and the feel he has for the game and for players around him is really unique. He impacts the game."Conley is one of the league's most efficient point guards... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Houston's James Harden were this season's leading NBA MVP candidates .In their latest playoff games, the superstars had relatively lackluster performances and their teammates were more than capable of picking up the slack to put Detroit and Utah on the brink of elimination.The Bucks can finish off a sweep of the Pistons in Game 4 on Monday night and the Rockets will get their chance to advance later the same evening against the Jazz.Antetokounmpo scored just 14, his fewest in the playoffs in nearly two years, and it didn't matter because six of his teammates also scored in double figures as top-seeded Milwaukee beat Detroit 119-103 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.Harden missed his first 15 shots before closing strong enough to score 22 points as one of six Rockets in double figures in a 104-101 victory over the Jazz that gave them a 3-0 lead in the opening series."That's what they've been doing all year long,"... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for aggressively pursuing and directing an obscene gesture toward an official.NBA executive Kiki VanDeWeghe announced the punishment on Saturday.Gibson grew frustrated after he was called for a foul when Utah's Joe Ingles drove to the basket during the third quarter of Friday night's 106-102 loss to the Jazz. He received two technical fouls and had to be restrained by his teammates after he was ejected with 6:41 left in the period.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Restless nights became common for Donovan Mitchell during his rookie season.Mitchell worried about being able to make the playoffs and he worried about whether he was doing enough of the right things to get the Utah Jazz there."There would be nights where I just couldn't fall asleep," Mitchell said. "I'd just be in bed and couldn't sleep because I was thinking about it. This is crazy how all this has come together to be honest."Crazy sums up how the season played out for Mitchell and the Jazz.Few NBA teams have ever experienced as dramatic an in-season turnaround as Utah. The Jazz fell to 19-28 in mid-January and seemed headed for a lottery pick rather than a playoff spot. Things changed dramatically once Rudy Gobert came back from a knee injury and Mitchell emerged as the team's top playmaker on offense.The Jazz won 29 of their final 35 regular-season games to claim a playoff spot. They beat Oklahoma City in six games to reach the Western Conference semifinals, where... [More]

Quin Snyder walked into his news conference after Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals with a stoic look, slowly rubbing his forehead, barely if ever cracking anything that would resemble a smile.And he was on the winning side.This much is clear about the Utah Jazz: They are not surprising themselves by being in this position. A team that was written off by Vegas oddsmakers and alleged experts coming into the season after losing Gordon Hayward in free agency won 48 games, ousted reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City in the first round, and now have the Houston Rockets in a bit of trouble.The Jazz stole home-court from Houston with a win on Wednesday night, and now look to take a 2-1 lead when the series shifts to Salt Lake City for Game 3 on Friday night."When guys have confidence in each other, it allows them, I think, the confidence individually to step up," Snyder said.Confidence is not an issue for the Jazz.Even on a night where Donovan Mitchell shot 6 for 21 and fellow... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — By now, LeBron James is usually getting some rest in the NBA playoffs.The Pacers are making him work much harder than he has in years.After splitting the first four games, Indiana and Cleveland will meet on Wednesday night in the critical Game 5 of a first-round series that has been unpredictable, uneven and for James, unusual.This first round hasn't been the norm for the three-time champion.While he's 12-0 in the opening round, before the Cavs dropped Game 1 to the Pacers at home, James had never lost a playoff opener. In fact, James came in with a 21-game winning streak in first-round games and this will be his first Game 5 in Round 1 since 2012 when he was with Miami.The Cavs and Pacers aren't the only ones in a tussle in the Eastern Conference as Washington and Toronto resume their series in Canada tied 2-2. Things aren't quite as tight In the West as Utah holds a 3-1 lead over a fraying Oklahoma City team, and Houston, which dropped 50 points in one quarter... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Paul George has found his shot.Actually, the Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star has been on a roll heading into the playoffs.In the five regular season games in April, he averaged 27.6 points and made 41 percent of his 3-pointers and 90 percent of his free throws. He closed the regular season with a 40-point outburst against Memphis.He kept it up in OKC's playoff opener, scoring 36 points and setting a Thunder playoff record with eight 3-pointers as Oklahoma City beat Utah 116-108 .It took George a minute to consistently take the scoring pressure off Russell Westbrook. He struggled on offense right after the All-Star break and said he couldn't find his shot."To his credit, when he was going through a little bit of that slump where he wasn't shooting the ball particularly well, he really put extra work in," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "I felt like he was really driven and focused to work his way through it."A couple of former OKC standouts are also thriving early in... [More]

Ingles was utilized in a role off the bench during Wednesday's preseason game against the Lakers.

Ingles started in 32 games last season due to various injuries but he's on tap for a reserve role in coach Quin Snyder's rotation during the upcoming campaign. The Australian struggled to produce in larger minutes last season and a limited role this coming season certainly doesn't bode well for his value.

Ingles has decided not to play with the Australian National Team this summer, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Ingles had a breakout season last year with the Jazz as a 27-year-old rookie who ended up starting in 32 games, most of which came at the end of the season. He and the Jazz agreed on a two-year deal during the offseason and now there's a legitimate chance that he'll begin the 2015-16 campaign as a starter. The only impediment for that to happen is the returning Alec Burks (shoulder) who missed the majority of last season which opened the door for Ingles' unexpected playing time. Burks certainly has a better ability to score than Ingles, but coach Quin Snyder may elect to utilize Burks in a sixth-man role where's he's excelled in the past, especially since Trey Burke is expected to move into the starting five with the recent injury news to Dante Exum (knee), allowing Ingles to start at small forward and see around 20-25 minutes a game.

Ingles and the Jazz agreed to a two-year, $4.5 million deal Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.

Ingles, a restricted free agent, will sign for just above the veteran's minimum after averaging 5.0 points and 2.3 assists as a rookie. While he started 32 games last season, Ingles figures to primarily come off the bench in 2015-16.

Ingles was extended a qualifying offer by the Jazz on Saturday and will thus become a restricted free agent, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Due to multiple injuries on the wings, Ingles was handed 32 starts in his rookie season, averaging 5.0 points (on 42 percent shooting), 2.3 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 three-pointers in 21 minutes across 79 appearances overall. His ability to contribute as a three-and-D threat could spur another team to ink the Australian to an offer sheet, but the Jazz have the right to match any such overture.