Reilly Smith and Chandler Stephenson scored in the Golden Knights 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

UCLA — ranked second nationally but not the country’s second-best team right now — had no problem whipping the Rebels 73-51.

Brad Garrett’s new room seats about 210 for comed, and he can pack about 85 ticket-holders into the lounge at the entrance.

The Pac-12 Conference Championship is at 5 p.m. Friday at Allegiant Stadium.

Senior wing Bryce Hamilton scored 15 to lead the Rebels (4-3), who shot 30.4 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from 3-point range.

In the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases expert, said he would not be surprised if the omicron variant was already in the United States, too.

Benjamin Orleans got his health card just before the pandemic and was working construction jobs while waiting for his dream position in hospitality, his father said.

In Nevada, 31 game wardens are responsible for patrolling about 110,000 square miles of land. Almost everyone they encounter is armed.

Guy Nohra says running for office “is not life and death,” but thinks he can add a new perspective to the race.

SixthSenseSports.com handicapper Scott Kellen analyzes every NFL Sunday and Monday game, with trends and final scores for each.

With 14:43 remaining in the second half of Saturday’s matinee against UCLA, guard Josh Baker worked his way into the lane and made a corkscrew push shot to pull UNLV within 46-37. At that point, the crowd was into the game and the scarlet and gray ...

You could argue the results are meaningless in November, as the Cougars are playing a who’s who of opponents in preparation to make a run at the Nevada state title.

The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries on Saturday, just days after being identified in South Africa ...

Hassan Haskins scored five touchdowns and Aidan Hutchinson had three sacks, helping No. 6 Michigan finally beat No. 2 Ohio State 42-27 Saturday to give Jim Harbaugh his first win as a coach against the Buckeyes.

The house feasted on Thanksgiving largely by virtue of all three road teams winning outright. ...

Are you ready for the biggest game of the year for UNLV basketball? The scarlet and gray welcome No. 2 UCLA to the Thomas & Mack Center today (2 p.m., Stadium), and between the elite competition and the halftime jersey retirement ceremony ...

Every UNLV bucket was hard to come by in the first half, and after 20 minutes at the Thomas & Mack Center No. 2 UCLA has a 37-22 lead ...

UNLV was able to get within single digits midway through the second half, but there just wasn't enough firepower to sustain a comeback attempt as No. 2 UCLA pulled away for a 73-51 win ...

A 40-year-old Las Vegas driver died in a crash Friday that split their car “into two parts,” according to Metro Police.

Animal neglect used to be such a problem on the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota that packs of stray dogs would sometimes bring traffic to a halt on the main highway.

In this Sept. 31, 2019, file photo, Southern California head coach Clay Helton watches an NCAA college football game against Fresno State in Los Angeles. Helton is now head coach at Georgia Southern. | Kyusung Gong, Associated Press There is a new phenomenon in college football this season. For a variety of reasons, we are already starting to see coaches get fired who typically would not have gotten a pink slip until the end of the regular season in late November. So far, nine jobs have opened up around the country, a number previously unheard of for early November. Except for Washington State’s firing of Nick Rolovich, which occurred because he did not comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the others have happened as programs want to hit the reset button as soon as possible. One big reason is recruiting, whether athletic directors want to admit it or not. Until 2017, athletic directors could fire coaches at the end of November, and then the new coach would have about six weeks until national signing day at the beginning of February to piece together a recruiting class. Not much time, but somewhat doable. In 2017, however, the NCAA instituted an early signing period, three days in mid-December during which prospects could ink national letters of intent. Suddenly, it became much more difficult for new coaching staffs to put together a recruiting class in just about two weeks. As such, we’re seeing coaching changes now so programs can theoretically give new hires as much time as possible before the early signing period (Dec. 15-17 this year — most will happen on the first day). TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati reportedly acknowledged as much on Nov. 2 in discussing the departure of Gary Patterson, a legend who had been the coach since 2000 and already has a statue on campus. That said, there are a number of factors that are contributing to the increase in midseason firings this year, according to a story last week by Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger. Here’s a running list of all the coaching changes so far. Their replacements will be added to the list as they become official.

The Huntsman Mental Health Institute in Research Park in Salt Lake City is pictured on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019. | Steve Griffin, Deseret News Utah Legislature one of the most pro-mental health bodies in the country, Huntsman Mental Health Institute CEO says Five years ago, student leaders at Utah’s public colleges and university petitioned the then-Utah Board of Regents to confront what students described as a mental health crisis on state-supported campuses. The board formed a working group that implemented a wide variety of supports, ranging from a SafeUT smartphone app for college students to adding more university programs to train mental health professionals, as well as initiatives to improve access to care. A historic gift of $150 million from the Huntsman family in 2019 to establish the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, support research, access to mental health, train more providers and serve psychiatric patients also provided opportunities for the state’s higher education system to better serve students’ needs. “As you know, student mental health is a huge issue. It’s been that way even before COVID. but now (it’s) accelerated,” Lisa Michele Church, a member of the Utah Board of Higher Education, said recently. To that end, Huntsman Mental Health Institute CEO Dr. Mark Rapaport and Utah’s Commissioner of Higher Education David Woolstenhulme have been meeting to discuss ways the system and institute can continue to collaborate. One collaboration involves taking crisis services to directly to students. Placing a mobile crisis team at the University of Utah “has been so successful that we’re attempting to partner with the commissioner and others to bring this pilot to other universities within USHE (Utah System of Higher Education),” said Rapaport. Discussions are underway with Southern Utah University and Utah Valley University to embed crisis teams on their campuses, he said. Another significant effort underway has been to partner on a project to address stigma surrounding mental illness. “We are going to be launching in February what we hope will be an annual anti-stigma campaign for all of USHE called ‘Healing Out Loud.’ The intent behind this is to ask students on all of our campuses to compete in a local contest at each campus where they’ll be developing some type of public service announcement be it around TikTok or Instagram or traditional film,” he said. Winners will come to Salt Lake City for training with the Utah Film Institute and to compete in a statewide competition. The initiative also involves the Sundance Institute. “We’re really excited about this opportunity because we think if we begin the discussion this way, it will facilitate over time, greater breakdown of stigma, greater opportunity for our students to get access and to feel safe discussing their mental health needs,” he said. Steve Griffin, Deseret News Karen Huntsman, fourth from left, hugs son Jon Jr., former governor of Utah, as other family members look on during a press conference at the University of Utah’s Park Building in Salt Lake City on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019, where the Huntsman family announced a $150 million commitment to establish the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the U. The funding, pledged over 15 years, will be used to support research, expand access to patient care and build awareness about mental health. The institute has also partnered with Weber State University to develop crisis worker coursework and a certification program. “There’s a dearth of crisis workers in our state and innovative programs like this, partnering amongst USHE members, is really going to be critical for us in increasing the workforce,” said Rapaport, a nationally recognized clinician and researcher. The institute hopes to launch a similar program at the University of Utah’s College of Social Work in the fall of 2022, he said. Rapaport said the overarching goal of the Huntsman Mental Health Institute is to “address the big issues, stigma and prejudice, the social determinants of mental and physical health. How do we prevent or have early interventions at least for children, adolescents and young adults? As you know, 75% of all mental disorders begin between the ages of 10 and 24,” he said. The institute seeks to create “innovative and sustainable treatment models and really tackle the big issues be in suicide or substance use disorders, or psychosis or depression. And the intent of the institute is to create a structure that will convene and bring together the best individuals from all fields to study these issues.” Institute leaders believe Utah can become “a living laboratory where we come up with the best answers and then we’re able to share those answers nationally and internationally,” Rapaport said. Support from the Utah Legislature has been instrumental to the institute’s work and other mental health initiatives to improve Utahns’ lives, he said. “The state Legislature here in Utah has been remarkable. The over the last decade, the state Legislature has actually dedicated $175 million towards mental health and mental health research. The Legislature also is, believe it or not, one of the most progressive legislative bodies in the country when it comes to passing pro-mental health legislation.”

Utah Utes safety Brandon McKinney (28) tries to defend Oregon Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown (13) as Utah and Oregon play an NCAA football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News This marks Oregon’s third consecutive Pac-12 Championship game appearance. The Utes will play in the Pac-12 Championship for the third time in four years. Late Saturday afternoon, Pac-12 South champion Utah finally found out its opponent in next Friday’s Pac-12 Championship Game in Las Vegas. Oregon defeated Oregon State 38-29 to earn the Pac-12 North title, setting up a rematch with the Utes, who throttled the Ducks 38-7 at Rice-Eccles Stadium a week ago. This marks Oregon’s third consecutive Pac-12 Championship Game appearance. The Utes, who will play in the Pac-12 championship for the third time in four years, began preparing even before they knew who they were facing, according to Utah wide receiver Britain Covey. “We’ve been in two Pac-12 championship games and we’ve lost both of them, so we’ve got a good mindset in knowing what it takes. That game is different than any other game,” Covey said Friday night. “I mean, it’s like a chess match. You’ve got a whole season of film on your opponent. It’s just as much mental as it is physical. So I think that’s something we can do better this year — focus on the mental side of things. But man, I’m excited. We’ve been waiting for this since the last time we were there. I’m pumped.” The Utes lost to Oregon 37-15 in the 2019 Pac-12 Championship game in Santa Clara, California. This will be the first time the Pac-12 Championship Game will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. After Utah’s 28-13 victory over Colorado in the regular-season finale Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, coach Kyle Whittingham was anxious to know his Pac-12 championship opponent. “As soon as we know who that’s going to be, then we’ll get started, if not sooner,” he said. “We’ll start on some preliminary stuff for all three teams. We’ll figure that out as we go along.” The first piece of the puzzle fell into place when Washington State crushed arch-rival Washington 40-13 in the Apple Cup Friday night. Had Oregon State beaten Oregon, the Cougars would have won the Pac-12 North tiebreaker and advanced to the title game. Oregon jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead and they increased that advantage to 31-9 early in the fourth quarter. But Oregon State scored two touchdowns to cut the deficit to 31-21 with 8:28 remaining. The Ducks sealed the victory by scoring a touchdown on a 1-yard run by Travis Dye. Dye finished with 99 yards and two TDs on 20 carries and quarterback Anthony Brown completed 23 of 28 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns. It was a chippy game that featured player ejections on both sides. Overall, the Ducks bounced back pretty well after getting humiliated by Utah a week ago when the Utes dominated Oregon from start to finish and held the Ducks to 63 rushing yards. “All that will be out the window and this game will be its own entity and we’ve got to play well,” Whittingham said Friday night. Utah has won eight of its last nine games — its only Pac-12 loss came at the hands of Oregon State in October — and Whittingham is happy about the momentum his team has built, even after an uneven performance against Colorado. “The key was to stay healthy (against the Buffaloes) and I think we did that,” Whittingham said. “We may have a few bumps and bruises but we have a full week so we should get some guys healed up.” The Utes wore special “22 Forever” helmets in honor of their fallen teammates, Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe. The school honored Jordan and Lowe between the third and fourth quarters of the last four home games with a video tribute and a “moment of loudness.” “It was great. Just to have that tribute one more time — to see that between the third and fourth quarters was awesome,” Whittingham said. “It’s emotional for me every time I see it. We love those guys. They’re on the forefront of our minds all of the time. We’ll continue to memorialize them and pay tribute to them. It’s awesome.” Friday also marked Senior Day and 18 seniors and juniors that could leave with eligibility remaining were honored before kickoff. One of those players, junior linebacker Devin Lloyd, a Butkus Award finalist, said his emotions were stirred. “When I walked out of the tunnel, seeing everyone standing there, seeing my parents, it hit me that this is the last time that I play in this stadium,” he said. “A really special moment, a really special way to go out.” During the game, fans chanted Covey’s name every time he lined up to receive a punt. He let himself savor those moments. “Normally, I don’t let myself get in that headspace. But today I just listened to it,” he said. “It was beautiful and I loved it. I’m just a Utah Man. I love this stadium, I love the fans. It means a lot that they would do that.” Covey hasn’t decided his future yet but Friday may have been his final home game. But right now, he’s focused on next Friday’s Pac-12 Championship game against Oregon.

In the reflecting pool just east of the Salt Lake Temple, the baby Jesus; Mary, His mother; and Joseph appear to be floating on the water in this display in November 2020.  | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-11-26/visiting-temple-square-christmas-lights-nativity-displays-tabernacle-234400

BYU’s Shaylee Gonzalez on Nov. 9, 2021. Gonzalez led the Cougars to wins over two ranked opponents, Florida State and West Virginia, at the St. Pete Showcase in St. Petersburg, Florida, over Thanksgiving weekend. | BYU Photo While many have enjoyed a Thanksgiving break over the past few days, the BYU Cougars women’s basketball team has been incredibly productive on the court, as the unranked Cougars have beaten two ranked opponents. Playing in the St. Pete Showcase in St. Petersburg, Florida, BYU bested No. 17 Florida State 61-54 on Thanksgiving Thursday, and then the Cougars followed that up with a dramatic 58-57 victory over No. 22 West Virginia on Saturday. On Saturday, star Shaylee Gonzalez made two free throws with three seconds left to put BYU up 58-56. With 0.4 seconds left, however, Tegan Graham fouled West Virginia’s Kari Niblack, who got two free throws to try to tie. Niblack made the first before the Cougars called timeout, and then Niblack missed the second as BYU escaped with the win. The Cougars had trailed by as many as 13 in the second quarter and were down by five inside of six minutes to play before going on a 7-0 run to take the lead, and the teams traded baskets leading up to the dramatic ending. Gonzalez led all scorers with 20 points, and she added six rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes of play. Paisley Harding added 13 points and Graham scored 11. Saturday’s game followed a Thursday contest that saw BYU open up a 9-point lead in the second quarter, and Florida State never got closer than two the rest of the way, although the Seminoles did get within four late. Gonzalez put up 24 points for the Cougars in that one, and Maria Albiero added 10. Both wins occurred with assistant coach Lee Cummard, the former Cougar standout player, assuming the role of head coach after Jeff Judkins tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. BYU won the Showcase, and Gonzalez was named MVP. BYU is now 7-0 on the season and will next face rival Utah on Dec. 4 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

BYU’s Shaylee Gonzalez on Nov. 9, 2021. Gonzalez led the Cougars to wins over two ranked opponents, Florida State and West Virginia, at the St. Pete Showcase in St. Petersburg, Florida, over Thanksgiving weekend. | BYU Photo While many have enjoyed a Thanksgiving break over the past few days, the BYU Cougars women’s basketball team has been incredibly productive on the court, as the unranked Cougars have beaten two ranked opponents. Playing in the St. Pete Showcase in St. Petersburg, Florida, BYU bested No. 17 Florida State 61-54 on Thanksgiving Thursday, and then the Cougars followed that up with a dramatic 58-57 victory over No. 22 West Virginia, a future Big 12 opponent, on Saturday. On Saturday, star Shaylee Gonzalez made two free throws with three seconds left to put BYU up 58-56. With 0.4 seconds left, however, Tegan Graham fouled West Virginia’s Kari Niblack, who got two free throws to try to tie. Niblack made the first before the Cougars called timeout, and then Niblack missed the second as BYU escaped with the win. The Cougars had trailed by as many as 13 in the second quarter and were down by five inside of six minutes to play before going on a 7-0 run to take the lead, and the teams traded baskets leading up to the dramatic ending. Gonzalez led all scorers with 20 points, and she added six rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes of play. Paisley Harding added 13 points and Graham scored 11. Saturday’s game followed a Thursday contest that saw BYU open up a 9-point lead in the second quarter, and Florida State never got closer than two the rest of the way, although the Seminoles did get within four late. Gonzalez put up 24 points for the Cougars in that one, and Maria Albiero added 10. Both wins occurred with assistant coach Lee Cummard, the former Cougar standout player, assuming the role of head coach after Jeff Judkins tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. BYU won the Showcase, and Gonzalez was named MVP. BYU is now 7-0 on the season and will next face rival Utah on Dec. 4 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III (8) breaks up a pass intended for Colorado wide receiver Daniel Arias (6) in a NCAA football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News Utah beat Colorado 28-13 in its regular-season finale on Friday, improving its record to 9-3 overall and 8-1 in Pac-12 play. Up next for the Utes is the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 3. Here are the grades from the Utes’ win: Offense Maybe it was a Thanksgiving hangover, or the knowledge that they already had the Pac-12 South division locked up, but the Utes came out flat on offense. Cam Rising threw an interception, his first since Oct. 16, on Utah’s first drive of the game, and the Utes scored no points in the first quarter for the first time since Sep. 25 against Washington State (Jadon Redding also missed a field goal try). After the first quarter, though, Utah’s offense scored touchdowns on four of its next five drives. The Utes got on the scoreboard with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Rising to tight end Brant Kuithe. Rising’s dart to Kuithe capped off a seven-play, 2:51 drive. On the next drive, Utah went 38 yards in five plays, taking 2:39 off the clock. This time, Rising found Dalton Kincaid for a 28-yard touchdown pass. Utah’s tight ends have been the key targets for Rising this season. Utah’s most impressive drive of the game came following Colorado’s kick return for a touchdown to start the second half, which cut Utah’s lead to one point. Rising had two nice completions, and Tavion Thomas capped off the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run. The Utes defense forced Colorado to punt, then Utah scored another touchdown, going up 28-13. Britain Covey had a 33-yard completion where he got smacked by Christian Gonzalez but hung on to the ball. Later in the drive, Rising started to run for the first down on 3rd-and-5 from Colorado’s 13-yard line, but as he drew the defense to him, threw it to Covey for a touchdown. Utah had a good stretch there, but had too many empty possessions, failing to score in the first and fourth quarters. The 28 points scored was the fewest scored by the Utes since Sep. 25 against Washington State. For the game, Rising was 14-for-243 for 179 yards and three touchdowns, with an interception. Thomas rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown and TJ Pledger rushed for 103 yards. Covey led the team with 72 receiving yards and a touchdown. Grade: B- Defense Coming off an excellent showing against Oregon in which it held the Ducks to seven points and just 63 total rushing yards, Utah’s defense had an another great showing against Colorado. The Utes held the Buffaloes to only 148 total yards of offense — 84 passing yards and 64 rushing yards. The defense only surrendered six points — Colorado’s only touchdown of the day came on a kickoff return touchdown. Three of those points can’t really be pinned on the defense, as the unit was given tough field position after Rising’s interception on the first series of the game gave Colorado the ball on the Utah 15-yard line. But the ensuing Colorado series set the defensive tone for the rest of the night. The Utes stuffed Colorado running back Alex Fontenot, then forced two incompletions, holding the Buffaloes to a field goal. The only other points scored by the Colorado offense were on a short field, as the Utes went for it on fourth down and didn’t make it near the end of the first half and Colorado went 39 yards in nine plays. Buffaloes quarterback Brendon Lewis converted two third downs with his legs on that drive in pretty much the only negative moment for the defense, but Utah still stopped Colorado and forced a 56-yard field goal attempt to end the half, which Cole Becker nailed. The Buffaloes were missing some key players on offense — leading running back Jarek Broussard and leading receiver Brenden Rice. Lewis was 9-for-23 for just 84 yards and was sacked four times. Fontenot was Colorado’s leading rusher with just 28 yards. Utah’s linebacker duo of Nephi Sewell and Devin Lloyd led the way yet again. Sewell had 10 tackles with one tackle for loss, while Lloyd had nine tackles with a sack. Clark Philips and Zemaiah Vaughn had nice pass breakups, and Hayden Furey had two pass breakups. Lloyd, Mika Tafua, Van Fillinger and Aliki Vimahi each had a sack. It was another great performance from the defense. Grade: A Special Teams After a great showing against Oregon in which the unit had had a huge blocked field goal, a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown courtesy of Covey and a made field goal by Jadon Redding, the Utah special teams unit regressed heavily against Colorado. Redding’s only field goal attempt of the game, a 37-yarder, was blocked by Terrance Lang. To start the second half, Utah gave up a 100-yard kick return touchdown — the Utes’ third allowed kick return touchdown of the season — as Nikko Reed took the kick to the house to cut the Utes’ lead to one point. Utah missed multiple tackles on the return. Covey had 31 yards on four punt returns, including a 16-yard return, plus a 29-yard kickoff return. Michael Willams had his longest punt of the season, 50 yards, on his only punt of the game. Grade: D-

This 2020 electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-Rocky Mountain Laboratories shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles that cause COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in a lab. | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases via Associated Press Can getting sick with a minor coronavirus help defeat COVID-19? Getting sick from a harmless coronavirus may protect you from COVID-19, researchers at the University of Zurich recently found. A team of researchers found that antibody responses from previous coronavirus infections can help create immunity to COVID-19. “People who have had strong immune responses to other human coronaviruses also have some protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection,” said Alexandra Trkola, head of the Institute of Medical Virology at the university, according to SciTechDaily. The researchers reviewed antibody levels from people sick from coronaviruses before SARS-CoV-2 was around and compared them to samples taken from people infected with COVID-19. “Our study shows that a strong antibody response to human coronaviruses increases the level of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. So someone who has gained immunity to harmless coronaviruses is therefore also better protected against severe SARS-CoV-2 infections,” Trkola said, per SciTechDaily. In recent weeks, researchers have been reviewing how antibodies can protect people from COVID-19. In fact, Duke Human Vaccine Institute and the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently discovered an antibody can reduce the severity to a number of coronaviruses, including the novel coronavirus and the original SARS illness. Otherwise, researchers suggest you receive the COVID-19 vaccine in order to stay safe from the novel coronavirus. Officials recommend that everyone receives their COVID-19 vaccine or their booster shots as the winter months approach.

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) passes the ball around New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) during an NBA game at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. The Jazz lost 97-98. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News The Utah Jazz lost, 98-97 Friday night to the New Orleans Pelicans, one of the worst teams in the league on a Devonte Graham 3-pointer with one second left. You are probably accustomed to seeing some “High Notes” below, followed by the bad stuff. But tonight, there wasn’t anything the Jazz did that warranted praise. Low Notes If the Jazz had somehow pulled out a win on Friday night, maybe I could talk about the fact that Donovan Mitchell came alive at the end of the game to give Utah an advantage, but he also made critical mistakes down the stretch and the Jazz didn’t win. If the Jazz had somehow pulled out a win on Friday night, maybe I could talk about the fact that Bojan Bogdanovic was shooting really well and finished with 23 points. But, even in the second quarter when Bogdanovic was 4-of-4 from deep and 6-of-7 from the field overall and clearly the only Jazz player who was really in any sort of offensive rhythm, the Jazz couldn’t seem to get him an open look. Maybe that would be explainable against a different team with a better defense, but the Jazz weren’t getting him open against the Pelicans, and that’s because of a lack of movement and effort and awareness from the rest of the team. Speaking of that second quarter, the Jazz went the final 6:29 of that period and only scored two points — two. The Jazz talk a lot about their defense leading to offense and needing to rely on the defense, but they didn’t look good on either end. They were letting the ball stick and getting into iso situation after iso situation, and then on the other end they were missing defensive rotations and just plain not doing well with their assignments to the point that it started just looking like a layup line for the Pelicans.“I can’t say that we’ve put together a full 48 minutes together. A team that’s been together for three years, you’d think that we’d do that. We’ve just got to pick this (expletive) up. It’s bad, it’s bad the way this feels.” —Donovan Mitchell Joe Ingles’ pass-fake layup wasn’t even working. New Orleans big man Jonas Valanciunas seems to be one of the few in the league that have caught on, but when one person catches onto something, you can bet that others will. Midway through the third quarter, Hassan Whiteside picked up his fifth foul after playing just 10 minutes. That’s not exactly what we’d call an efficient use of time. Flat Notes Becoming the No. 1 overall seed last season was achieved by the Jazz coming into nearly every game with a huge amount of intensity and jumping out to leads, maintaining them with focused defense and then executing an offensive system that rarely waited until it was too late to start an action. The Jazz were one of the best teams at moving the ball last season, and not enough has changed on this team to explain why the ball is sticking so much.“We do it in spurts, we’ve done it in a couple of games and we feel it start to come and then we digress. And that’s just a question of our mindset and what we value during the course of the game — what we value collectively — and moving the ball requires trusting your teammates. When we do that, I think we’re rewarded. When we don’t, we’re penalized.” —Jazz head coach Quin Snyder I saw some tweets tonight (sorry that I can’t remember from who) that really explained the way the Jazz feel this season. The Jazz are 12-7 right now, and that’s good enough for third in the West at the time of writing this and that should be a pretty happy position. But the Jazz have not been fun to watch this season. It’s been clunky and disjointed, and they honestly haven’t played many really good teams. When you watch the Jazz it doesn’t look great and it doesn’t feel good. Even when they win, sometimes it doesn’t really feel like a team that’s ready to compete for real.

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) passes the ball around New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) during an NBA game at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. The Jazz lost 97-98. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News The Utah Jazz lost, 98-97 Friday night to the New Orleans Pelicans, one of the worst teams in the league on a Devonte Graham 3-pointer with one second left. You are probably accustomed to seeing some “High Notes” below, followed by the bad stuff. But tonight, there wasn’t anything the Jazz did that warranted praise. Low Notes If the Jazz had somehow pulled out a win on Friday night, maybe I could talk about the fact that Donovan Mitchell came alive at the end of the game to give Utah an advantage, but he also made critical mistakes down the stretch and the Jazz didn’t win. If the Jazz had somehow pulled out a win on Friday night, maybe I could talk about the fact that Bojan Bogdanovic was shooting really well and finished with 23 points. But, even in the second quarter when Bogdanovic was 4-of-4 from deep and 6-of-7 from the field overall and clearly the only Jazz player who was really in any sort of offensive rhythm, the Jazz couldn’t seem to get him an open look. Maybe that would be explainable against a different team with a better defense, but the Jazz weren’t getting him open against the Pelicans, and that’s because of a lack of movement and effort and awareness from the rest of the team. Speaking of that second quarter, the Jazz went the final 6:29 of that period and only scored two points — two. The Jazz talk a lot about their defense leading to offense and needing to rely on the defense, but they didn’t look good on either end. They were letting the ball stick and getting into iso situation after iso situation, and then on the other end they were missing defensive rotations and just plain not doing well with their assignments to the point that it started just looking like a layup line for the Pelicans. Joe Ingles’ pass-fake layup wasn’t even working. New Orleans big man Jonas Valanciunas seems to be one of the few in the league that have caught on, but when one person catches onto something, you can bet that others will. Midway through the third quarter, Hassan Whiteside picked up his fifth foul after playing just 10 minutes. That’s not exactly what we’d call an efficient use of time. Flat Notes Becoming the No. 1 overall seed last season was achieved by the Jazz coming into nearly every game with a huge amount of intensity and jumping out to leads, maintaining them with focused defense and then executing an offensive system that rarely waited until it was too late to start an action. The Jazz were one of the best teams at moving the ball last season, and not enough has changed on this team to explain why the ball is sticking so much. I saw some tweets tonight (sorry that I can’t remember from who) that really explained the way the Jazz feel this season. The Jazz are 12-7 right now, and that’s good enough for third in the West at the time of writing this and that should be a pretty happy position. But the Jazz have not been fun to watch this season. It’s been clunky and disjointed, and they honestly haven’t played many really good teams. When you watch the Jazz it doesn’t look great and it doesn’t feel good. Even when they win, sometimes it doesn’t really feel like a team that’s ready to compete for real.

Three businesses on Provo Center Street say that they feel supported by the community and that they have loyal customers who value shopping at a small business.

Wondering how to keep the peace at Thanksgiving? Avoid the topics you hate to debate using these conversation starters and other tips from theMemories.com. Have fun, meaningful conversations with your family and friends.

Former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert will serve as a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, filling an open post on the board available for a Republican governor.

The holiday tree is towering over the main square in this central German city, the chestnuts and sugared almonds are roasted, and kids are clambering aboard the merry-go-round just like they did before the pandemic. But a surge in coronavirus infections has left an uneasy feeling hanging over Frankfurt's Christmas market.

Six children were brought to the hospital with injuries after the driver of the car crashed into a barrier while driving under the influence, according to police. Police documents said five of the children, including a 4-year-old, were not wearing seatbelts.

The creator of a new TV show is trying to simplify the Navajo language for children in a fun way — through the use of puppets.

Thanksgiving is past and most turkey leftovers are on their last leg, but that doesn't mean we're done with turkeys.

This holiday season, give the kids on your list something truly unique and fun, but also guides them to explore the world and learn!

European Union residents will need to have COVID-19 vaccine booster jabs if they want to travel to another country in the bloc next summer free of tests or quarantines, the European Commission proposed on Thursday.

It's not just a big game in the state, but nationally. Saturday's matchup will be the first time both teams are 5-0 since the 1912-13 season.

LeBron James' celebration in the recent overtime victory against the Indiana Pacers has landed the Los Angeles Lakers forward a fine from the NBA.

The emergence of the newly identified Omicron coronavirus variant feels like a pandemic gut check.

As a new Omicron variant spurs global travel bans, experts said that concerns over its impact should spur the millions of unvaccinated Americans to get their Covid-19 shots -- and for those who are eligible to get boosters -- as it will offer at least a degree of protection.

Dr. Peter Hotez discusses the Omicron variant and when we'll know if vaccines are effective against it.

As a new Omicron variant spurs global travel bans, experts said that concerns over its impact should spur the millions of unvaccinated Americans to get their Covid-19 shots -- and for those who are eligible to get boosters -- as it will offer at least a degree of protection.

• Their first Thanksgiving was spent with neighbors they just met. Here's how it happened • Video: She invited him to Thanksgiving by accident, and it's become a tradition

Tracking Covid-19 | What you need to know about travel this week

LeBron James' celebration in the recent overtime victory against the Indiana Pacers has landed the Los Angeles Lakers forward a fine from the NBA.

Several Best Buy Black Friday 2021 sale items are still on sale. We've rounded up the best ones available to shop from Apple, Sony and Samsung.      

The Demon Deacons will play for the ACC championship. The Monarchs are bowl-eligible after sitting out the 2020 pandemic season. The Badgers blow it.      

Alabama won the first Iron Bowl to go to overtime and must beat No. 1 Georgia next Saturday in the SEC championship to make the playoff.      

Longtime Tuscaloosa News columnist Cecil Hurt died Tuesday at 62. He had covered the Crimson Tide for nearly four decades.      

Man stows away in plane landing gear on American Airlines flight Saturday from Guatemala to Miami. Apparently uninjured he is taken to local hospital.      

Fears over the omicron COVID-19 variant have rapidly spread across the globe, sending stocks tumbling and prompting travel restrictions.      

Tons of Black Friday deals are still live ahead of Cyber Monday. Don't miss your chance to save on AirPods, Roku Smart TVs, Bose headphones and more.      

Snow could make driving difficult this holiday weekend, with risk of delays in cities including Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo.     

Jim Harbaugh, who was an embattled head coach in Ann Arbor just one season ago, snapped an eight-game losing streak to Ohio State on Saturday.      

Michigan reached its first Big Ten title game by ending an eight-game losing streak to Ohio State behind five rushing touchdowns by Hassan Haskins.