The young Utah Jazz team will take the court again on Thursday night against the Houston Rockets. How the Jazz look in that game will be interesting following head coach Will Hardy’s spirited postgame remarks.
At 16-57, the Jazz look more than ready for their season to be over. Houston, on the other hand, is jockeying for playoff positioning in the Western Conference and is one of the hottest teams in the league.
Here’s the latest from the injury report.
Utah Jazz:
Jordan Clarkson: Out (Left plantar fasciitis)
John Collins: Out (Left ankle sprain)
Lauri Markkanen: Out (Return to competition conditioning)
Micah Potter: Out (G-League)
Oscar Tshiebwe: Out (G-League)
Taylor Hendricks: Out for season (Right fibula fracture)
Without their two best players, the Jazz will have to find production elsewhere if they want to keep things competitive. They were able to play 24 minutes of good basketball on Tuesday night, but completely unraveled in the second half, as evidenced by the 76 points they allowed.
It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that we see Collins again this year following his ankle sprain. In addition, the Jazz are being very cautious with their $238M man in Markkanen as there is no reason to rush him back onto the court.
Houston Rockets:
Steven Adams: Questionable (Right wrist pain)
Amen Thompson: Questionable (Left ankle sprain)
Reed Sheppard: Out (Right thumb avulsion fracture)
David Roddy: Out (G-League)
Winners of 9 out of their past 10 games, the Rockets have hit their stride at the right time. They’ve surged back up to second place in the Western Conference, which, if they can hold onto it, would give them home court advantage throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs.
A big reason for their strong play has been their health, getting back players like Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson. The twin is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s contest with the Jazz due to an ankle sprain. If he’s able to go, he’d give the Rockets a major boost on both ends of the court.
It has been an underwhelming rookie season for Sheppard, whom the Rockets took third overall in last summer's draft. He’s averaged just under 4 points per game on 33% shooting. This thumb injury likely means we won’t see him being a positive contributor at any point this season.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm MT.
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