Barrett leads hot-shooting Raptors to 143-127 victory over Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 27 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili added 23 and the Toronto Raptors defeated the Utah Jazz 143-127 on Monday night.

Ja’Kobe Walter had 21 points and Scottie Barnes finished with 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Raptors (40-31) stopped a two-game skid. They remained a half-game ahead of Atlanta for fifth place in the Eastern Conference — the top six teams are assured a playoff berth without needing to qualify via the play-in tournament.

Utah rookie Ace Bailey had 37 points and Brice Sensabaugh scored 24 off the bench for the Jazz (21-51), who have lost six of seven and are eliminated from playoff contention.

Toronto outscored Utah 49-30 in the third quarter to open a 29-point cushion. Led by Walter and Barrett, the Raptors shot 54% from 3-point range (20 of 37) and 61% from the field overall.

Walter went 6 for 8 on 3-pointers and 7 of 10 from the floor. Barrett was 10 for 15 from the field, including 4 of 5 on 3s. He added six assists without committing a turnover in 25 minutes.

Jamal Shead had 15 assists for the Raptors to go with his seven points. Jamison Battle scored 17 off the bench, and Gradey Dick had 13.

Markelle Fultz, the top pick in the 2017 draft, played 16 minutes off the bench for Toronto in his first NBA game this season. He had two points on 1-of-5 shooting with five assists and three turnovers.

The 27-year-old Fultz signed a 10-day contract with the Raptors, the team announced earlier in the day. He had been playing for their G League affiliate.

Raptors: Wrap up a five-game trip Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jazz: Finish a four-game homestand Wednesday night versus the Washington Wizards.

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Toronto Raptors guard Markelle Fultz (20) dribbles against Utah Jazz guard Bez Mbeng (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)

Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey goes up for a dunk against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) looks for a play as Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)

Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) moves the ball as Utah Jazz guard Elijah Harkless, left, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)

Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) goes up for a dunk against the Utah Jazz during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)

Hopes rose that the Iran war could begin winding down as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that his government was holding productive talks with Tehran, but fighting showed no signs of slowing and Iran denied there were talks.

Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, saying the U.S. will hold off striking Iranian power plants for five more days to allow U.S. envoys to hold talks with a “respected” Iranian leader.

Iranian officials said that the American leader had backed down “following Iran’s firm warning.”

Relief ripped through financial markets Monday as oil prices eased following severe losses prior to Trump’s announcement. Markets have had vicious swings, both up and down, since the war began because of uncertainty about how long it may last.

The death toll has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 U.S. military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.

Here is the latest:

An Israeli strike early Tuesday on a residential apartment in Bchamoun, around 10 kilometers (6 miles) southeast of Beirut, killed at least two people, according to an initial toll from the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The strike wounded five others, the ministry added.

The strike came without warning and hit an area outside Beirut’s southern suburbs, where the Israeli military had previously issued evacuation notices.

Footage circulating online showed at least one apartment in a building engulfed in flames.

Also early Tuesday, Israeli strikes hit several areas in southern Lebanon, including a gas station belonging to the Amana company in Rashidieh, near the port city of Tyre, sending a large plume of fire into the air.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israel has repeatedly struck Amana fuel stations since the conflict with Hezbollah reignited on March 2, accusing them of being part of the group’s “economic infrastructure” that can support its military activities.

An Israeli Apache helicopter fires a missile towards southern Lebanon as seen form northern Israel, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Children play beside a fragment of an Iranian ballistic missile that landed in a schoolyard in the Israeli settlement of Peduel in the West Bank Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Iranian firefighters use an excavator to clear rubble from a residential building that was hit in an earlier U.S.-Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Missiles launched from Iran streak across the sky over central Israel, early Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)