Holiday and Clingan boost Trail Blazers to 135-119 win over Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 31 points and Donovan Clingan added 23 points and 18 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers beat Utah 135-119 on Thursday night — hours after the Jazz lost Jaren Jackson Jr. to knee surgery and were fined $500,000 by the NBA for sitting healthy stars.

Clingan also had a career-high seven assists and three blocks. Holiday had nine rebounds and seven assists to lead Portland (27-29) to its fourth victory in five games.

Jerami Grant added 18 points and Scoot Henderson scored 15 in his fourth game this season.

Brice Sensabaugh had 28 points while Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski and Isaiah Collier each scored 15 for Utah (18-38).

In his first NBA game, Utah two-way player Blake Hinson scored 11 points and hit a 3-pointer to pull the Jazz to 111-108. But the Blazers responded with an 11-2 run capped by Holiday's layup to clinch the win.

Clingan sparked a 10-0 spurt with dominating play on both ends to give the Trail Blazers a 75-65 lead. Portland outscored the short-handed Jazz 40-23 in the third quarter to take control.

Jackson, who led the Jazz to a 2-1 record since arriving from Memphis in a trade last week, did not play. In a post-trade physical exam, Jackson was diagnosed with a benign growth in his left knee and will have surgery next week.

Lauri Markkanen sat out to rest on the second game of a back-to-back, and Keyonte George was sidelined with a sprained right ankle. Earlier in the day, the NBA fined Utah $500,000 for not playing Markkanen and Jackson in the fourth quarter of games at Orlando and Miami. The Jazz beat the Heat 115-111 on Monday without their stars.

The bench got even shorter for Utah when Vince Williams Jr., who arrived with Jackson from Memphis, got two technicals with 8:59 left until halftime and was ejected. Oscar Tshiebwe then received stitches above his eye after getting elbowed in the first quarter and entered concussion protocol. Rotation regulars Kevin Love and Jusuf Nurkic were healthy but did not play.

The Trail Blazers were missing their top two scorers as well with Deni Avdija (back) and Shaedon Sharpe (calf) unavailable.

Portland hosts Denver on Friday, Feb. 20.

Utah visits Memphis on Feb. 20.

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Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh, right, shoots over Portland Trail Blazers guard Sidy Cissoko, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Utah Jazz guard Svi Mykhailiuk (10) goes to the basket for a layup guarded by Portland Trail Blazers guard Caleb Love (2) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) drives to the basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, center, goes to the basket guarded by Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh, left, and Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday (5) shoots during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The world’s largest aircraft carrier has been ordered to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East, a person familiar with the plans said Thursday, as U.S. President Donald Trump considers whether to take possible military action against Iran.

The move by the USS Gerald R. Ford, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region as Trump increases pressure on Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago.

It marks a quick turnaround for the USS Ford, which Trump sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last October as the administration build up a huge military presence in the leadup to the surprise raid last month that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

It also appears to be at odds with Trump’s national security strategy, which put an emphasis on the Western Hemisphere over other parts of the world.

Trump on Thursday warned Iran that failure to reach a deal with his administration would be “very traumatic.” Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman last week.

“I guess over the next month, something like that,” Trump said in response to a question about his timeline for striking a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. “It should happen quickly. They should agree very quickly.”

Trump told Axios earlier this week that he was considering sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East.

Trump held lengthy talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and said he insisted to Israel's leader that negotiations with Iran needed to continue. Netanyahu is urging the administration to press Tehran to scale back its ballistic missile program and end its support for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any deal.

The USS Ford set out on deployment in late June 2025, which means the crew will have been deployed for eight months in two weeks time. While it is unclear how long the ship will remain in the Middle East, the move sets the crew up for an usually long deployment.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.

FILE - In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford embarked on the first of its sea trials to test various state-of-the-art systems on its own power for the first time, April 8, 2017, from Newport News, Va. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via AP, File)