Tag: Utah

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NBA (Basketball)

Which NBA teams have yet to win a championship?

Brooklyn Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe during the first half of an NBA basketball game

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are always competing for the most NBA championships in history. In 2024, the Celtics won their 18th NBA title, surpassing the Lakers and breaking a tie between the two teams. While these two teams continue to fight for the top spot, there are still several teams – 10 in total – trying to win their first championship.

In 2023, the Denver Nuggets became the newest team to win an NBA championship, defeating the Miami Heat in the Finals and claiming their first title. Here’s a look at the 10 NBA teams that are still searching for their first championship, along with their number of Finals appearances.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets won two ABA championships with Julius Erving leading the team, but they have not won an NBA title since Erving was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers when the ABA-NBA merger happened in 1976. The team, then known as the New Jersey Nets, came close with back-to-back Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. The Nets faced Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers one year, and Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs the other year.

Charlotte Hornets

In 1998, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls eliminated the Hornets in the Eastern Conference semifinals while on their way to winning their sixth NBA title in eight seasons. Although Jordan was one of the best winners in NBA history as a player, he didn’t have the same success as the owner of the Hornets.

Jordan sold his majority stake in the team in 2023, but his poor draft choices before that, including top-10 picks like Emeka Okafor, Adam Morrison, Michael-Kidd Gilchrist, and Cody Zeller, prevented the Hornets from making deep playoff runs.

Charlotte Hornets (NBA)

Indiana Pacers

Like the Nets, the Pacers were one of the best teams in the ABA, winning three championships before the 1976 merger. Like the Nets, the Pacers also faced Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers in the Finals. Reggie Miller seemed ready to finally win an NBA title in 2000, but Shaq, Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers stopped Miller’s Indiana team in six games, winning their first of three straight championships. The Pacers haven’t returned to the Finals since.

LA Clippers

The Clippers have faced bad luck since moving from Buffalo, San Diego, and eventually Los Angeles. Now based in Inglewood, California, the Clippers are still searching for their first Finals appearance.

Although the team has had talented players, injuries to key players like Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard have prevented deep playoff runs. Along with questionable ownership and losing 3-1 leads in the 2015 and 2020 Western Conference semifinals, the Clippers have been one of the unluckiest teams in major North American sports.

Memphis Grizzlies

Even when the Grizzlies were based in Vancouver (1995-2001), they had trouble getting to the championship. The franchise did have one period when it came close. Tony Allen, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph played strong defense and helped the team make the playoffs for seven straight years, including a run to the Western Conference Finals in 2013. Unfortunately, Memphis was swept by the Spurs in that series.

Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are another team still waiting for their first championship and their first Finals appearance. Minnesota couldn’t make it to the Finals during Kevin Garnett’s time with the team. The Timberwolves, formed in 1989, made the playoffs for eight straight years with Garnett but only made it past the first round once.

To make matters worse, Garnett left Minnesota and went on to win a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. In 2024, Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, but Minnesota fell behind 3-0 in the series and lost in five games.

New Orleans Pelicans

A relatively new team, the Pelicans have been in New Orleans since 2002. They haven’t won any championships or made any Finals appearances. The team made it to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time with Chris Paul in 2008 when they were known as the New Orleans Hornets.

In 2012, New Orleans won the draft lottery and picked Anthony Davis as the No. 1 pick. However, the Pelicans didn’t make the most of the Davis years, and he eventually left to win a championship with the Lakers.

Orlando Magic

Orlando is known for being the home of Walt Disney World, but the Magic are not known for being home to an NBA champion. The Magic have had two of the best big men of their time in Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard. Both led the team to the Finals—Shaq in 1995 and Howard in 2009. However, it took both players leaving the team to win championships. Shaq won three championships with the Lakers and one with Miami. Howard won one, also with the Lakers.

Phoenix Suns (NBA)

Phoenix Suns

The Suns have had several great teams with all-time great players who just couldn’t finish the job. NBA MVP Charles Barkley led Phoenix to the Finals in 1993, but they lost to Jordan and the Bulls in six games. Steve Nash won back-to-back MVPs with the Suns in 2005 and 2006 but couldn’t get Phoenix past the Western Conference finals. More recently, Devin Booker’s Suns lost a 2-0 series lead to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 Finals.

Utah Jazz

While there have been greater duos in NBA history than Karl Malone and John Stockton, they are certainly the greatest pair never to win a championship. These two Hall of Famers made the Jazz serious title contenders for over a dozen years, leading the team to its only two Finals appearances. Utah played in the NBA’s biggest stage in 1997 and again in 1998. Unfortunately for Malone and Stockton, both years were against Jordan’s Bulls. The Jazz lost both series in six games and haven’t been back to the Finals since.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Alex Ovechkin pushes for history as Capitals face Utah in Washington, D.C.

Washington Capitals (NBA)

Alex Ovechkin is steadily working toward breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal-scoring record.

With 879 career goals, just 16 away from passing Gretzky, Ovechkin aims to keep his momentum going when the Washington Capitals play the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday afternoon.

Ovechkin has scored in four straight games, bringing his season total to 26 goals. This puts him on track for 45 goals, which would mark the 14th time in his 20 seasons that he has reached 40 goals. His 0.68 goals per game this season is the fifth highest of his career, and he’s doing this at 39 years old.

Washington head coach Spencer Carbery believes there is more to come from Ovechkin, who missed 16 games with a broken leg from mid-November to late December.

“I think his best hockey is to come in the season,” Carbery said. “In my head, at 39 years old, missing that amount of time and trying to come back and get caught up in the NHL. I think that’s really, really hard, and I saw a difference in his individual game. I think he’s going to look even better coming out of the break.”

The Capitals head into Sunday’s game with a chance to tie the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the NHL. They’re coming off a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, extending their point streak to five games (3-0-2).

Sunday’s game will be the final one for both teams before the league breaks for the 4 Nations Face-Off, which runs from Wednesday through Feb. 20. The Capitals are one of two teams not sending players to the tournament.

Alex Ovechkin waves to the crowd after the game

“A mental break is enormous for us at this point in the year,” said defenseman John Carlson. “Guys that are a little banged up and injured, it’ll help them too. But mostly the way I look at it is just the mental. Kind of get away from the day-to-day stuff and come back re-energized and invigorated to finish the year strong.”

Utah will be looking to recover after a 7-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, which left them at a .500 record for the season.

Despite this, Utah is only eight points behind the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

“I liked our determination on offense, I like the way we competed on offense,” said Utah coach Andre Tourigny. “I think we were too short on detail defensively. All in all, we gave up too much on offense for them.”

Forward Lawson Crouse has struggled this season, with just 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 54 games. He is on pace for only 12 goals, a drop after scoring over 20 goals in each of the past three seasons.

The Utah alternate captain was scratched on Tuesday against the Flyers but returned to the lineup on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring his second goal in the last 15 games.

“I hold myself to a higher level and standard,” Crouse said about being scratched. “… Obviously, it’s unfortunate but I’ve got to play better. It’s on me.”

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Clippers aim to bounce back with a win over the Jazz in Los Angeles

Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers, currently on a three-game losing streak matching their season high, will look to regain control of the game’s pace when they face the Utah Jazz on Saturday night in Inglewood, Calif.

This will be the teams’ first meeting after a trade between them, where the Clippers acquired Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills, and the Jazz got Mo Bamba and P.J. Tucker. Bamba has been waived, and Tucker was traded twice after that.

The Clippers’ recent losses are troubling, with their last two defeats standing out due to being outplayed in key moments.

The team was off to a rough start in a 122-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Then, against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, they couldn’t hold onto a 22-point lead, eventually losing 119-112 after getting outscored in the second quarter and late in the game.

The Clippers have been struggling at home, with a 2-4 record since Jan. 20, after having won six straight games at their new arena, starting with a 144-107 victory over Utah on Dec. 16. They are 2-0 against the Jazz this season, with both wins in Inglewood.

In Thursday’s game against Indiana, the Clippers had a 22-point lead early in the second quarter, but the Pacers took the lead by the time the first half ended. Los Angeles was outscored 42-19 in the second quarter and committed eight turnovers, while the Pacers shot 57.7% from the field during that period.

“Second quarter, turnovers, you know, that kind of killed us,” Clippers center Ivica Zubac said. “They were live-ball turnovers that would lead to the layups, and that kind of killed the whole momentum, man.”

James Harden and Norman Powell each scored 22 points, while Zubac added 18 points and 15 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard contributed 19 points in a season-high 33 minutes of play after starting the season late due to knee soreness.

“I didn’t mind tonight’s game,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “You’re not gonna win every game, but there are some things that we can learn. Just (take) care of the basketball. We had a big lead and turn the ball over, turn the ball over, turn the ball over.”

Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)

The Jazz, who have gone 2-2 after an eight-game losing streak, come into Los Angeles following a tough 135-127 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday. John Collins scored 21 points for Utah, and Walker Kessler had 19 points and a career-high 22 rebounds.

Utah led 120-116 with 4.7 seconds left before Grayson Allen hit two three-pointers for the Suns to send the game into overtime. Phoenix then scored the first eight points in the extra period to win.

The Jazz are on a seven-game road losing streak, including two losses at Phoenix, and have a 7-20 record on the road this season.

Despite being near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, the Jazz are staying positive, especially with the trade deadline now behind them.

“I think the chemistry we have as a group has continued to grow as the year has gone on,” said coach Will Hardy. “I know when we got in the plane yesterday, everybody was having that collective sigh of relief that we can just focus on what’s next and move forward.”

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Injured Blue Jackets look to end losing streak against Utah in Columbus

Columbus Blue Jackets players celebrates after a goal

The Columbus Blue Jackets will aim to avoid a third straight loss when they begin a four-game homestand against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night.

Columbus lost 3-2 on Tuesday in Buffalo, wrapping up a four-game road trip (2-2-0). Ivan Provorov scored a goal and added an assist, while Kent Johnson scored the other goal. Johnson extended his point streak to eight games (four goals, five assists).

“I thought our effort was certainly there,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “Maybe there is an element of not playing some games and some juggling a little bit with some different players, but having said that, we’ve still got to get the job done, we’ve still got to play like we play, and we’ve got to stay with how we play the game.”

Elvis Merzlikins made 18 saves for the Blue Jackets, who were missing their top defensive pairing of Zach Werenski and Dante Fabbro due to upper-body injuries.

Werenski is questionable for Thursday, while Fabbro is expected to miss two to three weeks.

Leading scorer Kirill Marchenko missed his first game of the season after breaking his jaw in a 5-3 loss to Dallas on Sunday. The forward was placed on injured reserve and will be out indefinitely.

This injury is especially tough for Columbus as they fight for a playoff spot. Entering Thursday, they were one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Despite this, the Blue Jackets have been solid at home, with a 17-5-3 record. They are 4-4-1 overall since a six-game winning streak from January 4-16.

Thursday’s game will be the second and final meeting between Columbus and Utah this season. The Blue Jackets won 3-2 in overtime last Friday in Salt Lake City.

Utah Hockey Club (NHL)

Utah enters the game following a 3-2 overtime victory over Philadelphia to close a four-game homestand (1-1-2). Dylan Guenther scored twice, including the overtime winner with one second left, as Utah snapped a five-game losing streak (0-3-2). Guenther returned to the lineup after missing 12 games due to a lower-body injury.

Mikhail Sergachev scored a goal and added two assists, and Karel Vejmelka made 18 saves for Utah. Sergachev tied his career high with 10 goals on Tuesday.

Utah, six points out of a Western Conference wild-card spot entering Wednesday, is 4-4-2 in their last 10 games and 13-10-3 on the road this season.

“We still very much believe,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “We know at this point, we’ll need a little bit of help. We didn’t take the straight line, but we can make it, and we’ll fight for it.”

“And now we need to go on the road and have a (heck) of a road trip.” Clayton Keller leads Utah with 39 assists and 57 points in 52 games this season. He and Guenther are tied for the team lead with 18 goals each.

Vejmelka is 12-14-4 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average in 30 starts this season. In two career appearances against the Blue Jackets, Vejmelka is 1-0-1 with a .900 save percentage and a 2.48 GAA.

Merzlikins has a 19-13-3 record with an .894 save percentage and a 2.96 goals-against average in 35 starts this season. He is 2-2-1 in six career appearances against the Arizona Coyotes franchise, with an .885 save percentage and a 3.50 GAA.

Daniil Tarasov was in goal for Columbus in the teams’ first meeting and made 32 saves.

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One team’s slump will snap when Flyers take on Utah

Utah Hockey Club (NHL)

Two teams desperate for a win will meet Tuesday in Salt Lake City when the Utah Hockey Club hosts the Philadelphia Flyers.

The teams are currently on a combined eight-game losing streak, though each team’s struggles have different causes. The Flyers arrive in Utah after being shut out in three straight games. The only other time this happened in the team’s history was during the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Ottawa Senators.

On Sunday, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Flyers 2-0. Goalie Samuel Ersson made 30 saves on 32 shots, a much better performance compared to his second-period pull in last Wednesday’s 5-0 loss at New Jersey, where he allowed four goals on 16 shots.

Scott Laughton was the last Flyers player to score, netting an empty-net goal with 15 seconds left in a 4-2 win against the Devils last Monday. Travis Konecny, the team’s leader with 21 goals and 37 assists (58 points), had four assists in the three games before the shutout streak began. However, the 27-year-old has not scored in his last seven games.

The Flyers average 27.3 shots per game, ranking 19th in the league with 1,472 shots on goal. In the three shutouts, they totaled just 71 shots, averaging 23.7 shots per game.

“I don’t think we’re developing as much as we had a couple of weeks ago,” said coach John Tortorella after the Colorado loss. “Had some chances… We just haven’t put the puck in the net.”

Utah’s problem during its five-game losing streak has been finishing games. In each of those losses, the first-year franchise allowed either a go-ahead or game-tying goal in the third period, resulting in a 0-3-2 record over that stretch.

Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)

Coach Andre Tourigny praised his team’s play earlier in the streak, but after Sunday’s 2-1 loss to St. Louis, he admitted the Blues outplayed them.

Tuesday’s game will wrap up a four-game homestand for Utah. Philadelphia is the first of four games the team will play this week before the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off break, which lasts nearly two weeks.

“It’s an extremely huge game for us against Philly,” Tourigny said. “We need the two points. We need to finish up that homestand at least (with four points in four games), hit the road, and have a hell of a road trip before the break. There’s no doubt about it.”

Clayton Keller leads Utah with 18 goals and 38 assists. He didn’t record any points in Sunday’s loss and has five points (one goal, four assists) during the losing streak.

Both teams are also dealing with injuries. The Flyers announced on Monday that defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who left Sunday’s game early, is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Owen Tippett, the team’s third-leading scorer with 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists), is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He has not played since leaving the loss to the Devils after less than seven minutes of ice time.

Utah is missing two of its top scorers. Dylan Guenther, who last played on January 8, ranks fourth on the team with 34 points (16 goals, 18 assists). He was day-to-day with a lower-body injury before Sunday’s game. Logan Cooley, second on the team with 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists), last played Wednesday against Pittsburgh and is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

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Jazz look to secure back-to-back victories as Pacers visit Salt Lake City

Utah Jazz (NBA)

The Utah Jazz are hoping to achieve something they’ve only done twice this season when they face the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

Fresh off a 113-99 win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday, the Jazz will try to get back-to-back wins for the third time this season when they host the Pacers in Salt Lake City.

It won’t be easy, though — especially since Utah has struggled more at home than on the road this year.

The Pacers come into the game as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They’ve won three straight games and have been the most successful team since the new year. Indiana is 11-2 in games played in 2025.

This strong run has pushed Indiana seven games over .500 and into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Their offense is clicking too, as the Pacers have scored at least 130 points in each of their last three games.

“Our goal is to lead the league in the number of passes thrown,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’ve been up at the top this year. … We’ve got to be a ball-movement, hot-ball, speed, random (team). Keep playing the game and keep putting pressure. Keep putting teams in difficult situations.”

Indiana has averaged nearly 31 assists per game in January and February, with point guard Tyrese Haliburton leading the way with an average of 8.7 assists.

“You have to take care of the ball,” Haliburton said. “We’ve been stressing possession, and coach has been stressing possession with us. We’ve just been trying to pay attention to it.”

Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers

Monday’s game in Utah starts a four-game road trip for the Pacers, who have six games remaining before the All-Star break.

Indiana comes into the game after a 132-127 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Pascal Siakam scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out five assists. Andrew Nembhard added 19 points, Obi Toppin scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Haliburton had 17 points and nine assists.

The Jazz also had a solid game in their last outing.

Collin Sexton scored 22 points and had eight assists, while John Collins added 19 points as Utah snapped an eight-game losing streak and picked up their fourth home win of the year.

Now the Jazz have a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time since January 4-5, when they won in Miami and Orlando.

“It’s a great team win,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I thought the group was really physical (Saturday). I thought we matched the physicality, or we met the level of physicality that’s needed when you play a team like the Magic.”

That physical play helped Utah limit Orlando to 33% shooting, including just 22% from beyond the arc.

“We understood that they’re not the greatest 3-point shooting team, and they love to get downhill, be physical,” Collins said. “They have a lot of great guys that get downhill. So I feel like the emphasis was on myself, (Lauri Markkanen), Walker (Kessler), the big fellas down there to protect the paint and set a tone.”

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Blue Jackets come from two goals down to defeat Utah in overtime in Columbus

Columbus Blue Jackets and Utah Hockey Club

Zach Werenski scored 1:01 into overtime to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 3-2 win against the Utah Hockey Club on Friday night in Salt Lake City.

Werenski finished a two-on-none breakaway with Cole Sillinger after stealing the puck in Utah’s zone.

Utah gave up a 2-0 lead in the third period.

Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson also scored for Columbus. Werenski added an assist, and Daniil Tarasov made 31 saves. The Blue Jackets have now won three straight games, all in overtime.

Nick Schmaltz and Alexander Kerfoot scored for Utah, Clayton Keller recorded two assists, and Karel Vejmelka made 20 saves. Utah has now lost four games in a row (0-2-2), despite being tied or leading during the third period of each.

Columbus cut the deficit to 2-1 at 6:25 in the third after Vejmelka stopped shots from Werenski and Adam Fantilli, but Marchenko scored on the rebound.

The Blue Jackets tied the game at 2-2 at 11:42 when Johnson’s wrist shot hit Vejmelka and the rebound fell to his side. Utah defenseman Nick DeSimone accidentally kicked the puck into his own net.

Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)

Columbus killed two penalties in the first period and prevented another Utah power play after winning a challenge for delay of game.

Utah killed a four-minute high-sticking penalty on Ian Cole, with Vejmelka making six saves during the kill.

Utah’s second power play of the first period carried into the second period, and Schmaltz scored 41 seconds into the middle frame to give Utah a 1-0 lead. Keller lost the puck at the Columbus blue line, but Barrett Hayton collected it and passed it to Schmaltz, who redirected the puck into the top right corner.

Utah extended its lead to 2-0 just 29 seconds into the third period. Kerfoot won a faceoff in the Columbus zone, and John Marino’s slap shot was saved by Tarasov. The rebound came to the front of the crease, and Kerfoot quickly scored.