Team Jazz wins 2023 NBA Skills Challenge in Utah

Utah got a win to open All-Star Saturday night.

The Jazz — a roster composed of Utah players Jordan Clarkson,Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton — won the Skills Challenge onSaturday night, prevailing in two of the three competitions.

“It feels good, especially to do it in front of the home team,”Sexton said.

The Rooks were second, with Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, Detroit’sJaden Ivey and Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. getting 100 points.

“I had a lot of fun just doing that even though we took the L,”said Banchero, who was part of the winning squad in Friday’s RisingStars games. “It was really fun getting out there in front of thefans. Skills Challenge, watched that all the time growing up duringAll-Star Weekend. So being a part of it was great.”

The Antetokounmpos were third, with Thanasis Antetokounmpo, AlexAntetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday — a fill-in for injured MilwaukeeBucks teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo — getting shut out.

The Rooks won the team relay for 100 points, after having thebest time on a course where teams had to complete a 35-foot outletpass, do downcourt dribbling, a short jumper, a left corner3-pointer and then a dunk at the other end.

Next up was the team passing event, won by the Jazz — givingthem 100 points — after they were the most accurate in a series of35-foot outlet passes, 20-foot bounce passes and 25-foot chestpasses.

It ended with the Team Shooting event — worth 200 points — withthe Jazz prevailing there to clinch the win.

“We did it for Utah, man,” Clarkson said.