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On Tuesday, the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth took part in the Smith Entertainment Group’s ‘Pay It Forward’ initiative. Players from both teams (as well as broadcasters, mascots and others) were in a number of places across Salt Lake County covering people’s groceries, paying for meals and drinks, buying gas, and — probably most adorably — covering the cost of pet adoptions.

It was at Best Friends Animal Society in Sugar House where I caught up with Kyle Filipowski, who said he was going to try his best to leave the shelter without a dog, as it would probably make his 8-year-old German Shepherd, who was waiting at home, grumpy.

The Jazz forward brought a haul of treats, leashes, toys and other goodies for the animals and SEG covered the cost of pet adoptions for the day.

Filipowski took a dog on a walk before heading to the puppy room where he held as many of the little pups in his arms as possible before heading over to hang out with the kittens. But between the mews and barks, Filipowski said that he jumped at the opportunity to help out, especially with the shelter.

“It was an incredible opportunity to enjoy my passion and love for dogs and animals and try to do some good in the community,” Filipowski said. “Just show some light on these little guys and help find them homes.”

But the Jazz and affiliated teams aren’t done trying to find homes for animals. The Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate, have partnered with Best Friends to host a pet adoption event during the team’s Dec. 15 game at the Maverick Center. Fans will have the opportunity to adopt a pet on-site, with the Stars covering all adoption fees.

That’s right. If you attend the Stars’ game, there will be pets in the arena available to adopt at no cost.

So, if you’ve been thinking that it’s time to add a furry family member, or there’s someone you know who deserves a new best friend for Christmas, this is the perfect opportunity to give the gift of a home to a pet that is desperately waiting to be loved.

New with the Jazz

From the archives

Extra points

• A fog machine with a mind of its own, a clock and a loss to the Thunder (Deseret News)
• Jazz just scratching the surface with Ace Bailey (Deseret News)

Around the league

• The Oklahoma City Thunder just won’t stop winning
• Grizzlies Zach Edey out for a month with lingering ankle issue
• Lakers ignore playoff talk, need to address defense

Up next

• Dec. 12 | 6 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz @ Memphis Grizzlies | KJZZ
• Dec. 15 | 7 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks | KJZZ
• Dec. 18 | 7 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers | KJZZ

Why Jazz’s Will Hardy kept Keyonte George in vs. Grizzlies with 5 fouls appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

In a contest against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, Keyonte George was on fire. He scored 39 points on 12-20 shooting from the field as he made mincemeat of a Grizzlies defense that was scrambling for ways to slow down the nascent Utah Jazz guard.

But the Jazz found themselves in a pickle in the fourth. George, at the 7:10 mark of the fourth quarter, was whistled for his fifth foul of the night. Nonetheless, head coach Will Hardy decided to keep George out on the court and it paid off, as he didn’t pick up his sixth foul and even scored 12 points in the fourth to ward off a potential comeback from the Grizzlies.

“Playing with five fouls, and they’re trying to put him in everything defensively, you’re in a hard spot. We had to adjust the coverage to try and protect him a little bit,” Hardy said, via JP Chunga of Jazz.com. “When you have five [fouls], people are going to try and step in and take charges. So I think he showed a lot of maturity in terms of keeping himself out of some tough spots where the whistle can go against you.”

Keyonte George has made the leap for the Jazz

George has become a long-term keeper for the Jazz after it had looked as though his standing as a starting point guard for his team was going to be in question. He’s averaging 22.9 points per game for Utah, looking like the kind of point guard every team needs nowadays — someone who can score from the perimeter and make his teammates better.

The Jazz may be in the middle of a rebuild, but they have been hell-bent on building winning habits under Hardy. Hardy is one of the brightest coaches in the association, and he’s been crucial to the development of the team’s key players — including that of George, who has blossomed into a quality young point guard in Year 3 of his career.

Related: Grizzlies’ Ja Morant chasedown block has Memphis fans going wild