Wembanyama, Castle lead Spurs to 128-115 win over Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Victor Wembanyama scored 34 points, rookie Stephon Castle matched a season high with 23 and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 128-115 in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.

The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama made six 3-pointers and shot 13 of 23 from the field. Julian Champagnie scored 15 points and made three 3s in the fourth quarter to help the Spurs pull away.

Utah's Lauri Markkanen had to be helped from the court after banging knees with Wembanyama in the fourth quarter.

Keyonte George led Utah with 26 points and shot 6 of 12 from 3. Collin Sexton and John Collins each scored 20 for the Jazz, who were eliminated from the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

Jazz: Shot 51% from the field but had 21 turnovers. Utah leads the league in turnovers per game.

Spurs: Finished with 30 assists after entering with an average of 27.9 per game. The Spurs outrebounded Utah 25-15 in the second half.

Chris Paul hit a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock with 1:43 left to give the Spurs a 121-109 lead. San Antonio held Utah to 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Markkanen was 0 for 6 from 3 before he was injured. After shooting 45% from 3 in the first half, Utah made 4 of 14 from long range in the second half.

The Spurs host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and the Jazz host Denver on Wednesday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, front, goes for a layup as Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Bethany Baker)

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) looks to pass as Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) and guard Keyonte George (3) defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Bethany Baker)

San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) shoots as Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Bethany Baker)

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) reacts to an injury during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Bethany Baker)

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) reacts to an injury during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Bethany Baker)

San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) drives to the basket as Utah Jazz forward Drew Eubanks (15) and guard Isaiah Collier (13) defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Bethany Baker)

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots as Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3), center Walker Kessler (24) and guard Collin Sexton (2) defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Bethany Baker)

MIDDLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — Weeks before Thanksgiving, some of the cranberries on dinner plates Thursday are floating on the Rocky Meadow bog in southeastern Massachusetts.

The cranberries have turned this pond pinkish crimson. Several workers, up to their waist in water, gently coral the berries toward a pump that vacuums them up onto a waiting truck. There, the berries are run through a system that separates them from leaves and vines and are transported to processing plant, which eventually turns them into sauce, juice or sweet and dried berries.

The native wetland plants that produce cranberries start growing in May. When they are ready to be harvested, farmers flood their bogs with water and send out a picking machine to shake the berries from the vines. Then more water is added to the bog, and the freed cranberries float to the surface.

“The season has been pretty good this year. We’ve had a pretty good crop,” said Steve Ward, a second-generation cranberry grower, on the edge of his bog.

The harvest runs from September through early November, and Ward is expected to produce between 15,000 and 20,000 barrels, the best crop he has had in three years. About 80% of those berries will go to Ocean Spray, a massive producer of cranberry products in the U.S.

This bog is one of nearly 300 in Massachusetts that cover some 14,000 acres, and this year farmers are projected to produce 2.2 million barrels of cranberries, with one barrel amounting to 100 pounds (45 kilograms). That's an increase of 12% over last year. Massachusetts is the second-biggest cranberry producing region in the U.S. behind Wisconsin, and the industry there dates back to the 1800s.

Despite the size of the sector, farmers in the state have weathered several challenges over the years, from trade wars to falling prices to a glut of berries. Some have sold off their bogs or moved to diversify by putting solar panels around their bogs. Ward has two solar sites near his bogs and is considering putting floating solar installations on his water holes and reservoirs.

Ward said farmers are also having to adapt to a changing climate — which the Massachusetts Cranberries, a group that advocates on behalf of the industry, said could lead to a lower harvest this year.

“We have had some challenges with some of the hot weather and had one of the longest dry spells we have ever had," he said. “We are having more 90-degree (32 degrees Celsius) days clumped together. The cranberry plants just don't like that type of weather. Our average temperatures, especially at night, are higher. Cranberries need cooler temperatures at night."

Cans of cranberry sauce line a turkey display case at Bongi's Turkey Roost in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, in Duxbury, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Cranberries float while being harvested at Rocky Meadow Bog, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Middleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Steve Ward, a second-generation cranberry grower, gestures from the edge of his bog during a harvest at Rocky Meadow Bog, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Middleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Workers adjust floating booms while wet harvesting cranberries at Rocky Meadow Bog, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Middleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Workers adjust floating booms, left, as cranberries are loaded for transport and processing during a wet harvest at Rocky Meadow Bog, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Middleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Workers adjust floating booms while wet harvesting cranberries at Rocky Meadow Bog, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Middleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)