The Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets play Monday night in a game that will go a long way in determining how the final standings play out. Utah is currently two wins behind Charlotte in the standings.
This is important as we head down the season’s home stretch, because both teams are trying to put themselves in the best position to draft core pieces in June. So while both teams are comfortably in the bottom-three of the standings, winning tomorrow is probably not in either’s best interest.
Keep that in mind while reading the latest update from the injury report.
Utah Jazz:
Collin Sexton: Questionable (Right ischial tuberosity bone bruise)
Cody Williams: Questionable (Illness)
Jordan Clarkson: Out (Left plantar fasciitis)
John Collins: Out (Left ankle sprain)
Walker Kessler: Out (Return to competition conditioning)
Lauri Markkanen: Out (Left knee soreness)
Micah Potter: Out (G-League)
Taylor Hendricks: Out for season (Right fibula fracture)
The Jazz will be without much of their veteran production on Monday night. Given the stakes of the game, rushing them back makes little sense for a team that sits at 16-59. They continue to lean on and evaluate the young talent on the team to see who makes sense for the next iteration of winning Jazz basketball.
Sexton is deemed questionable with a unique injury. The ischial tuberosity is a bone in your pelvis to which your hamstring muscles attach. Sexton has dealt with a hamstring issue earlier in his Jazz tenure. Hopefully this is more of a precautionary injury than anything else, as the 26-year-old is having another good year for the team.
If Sexton is held out, the Jazz will have to get more production out of their backcourt, specifically Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier. The latter had a rough game his last time out, going 0/7 from the floor and being benched in the second half. Playing a depleted Hornets defense should help him get back on track, though.
Williams, the tenth overall pick, was a late addition to the injury report. If he can’t go, we won’t be able to get a look at him sharing the court with Tidjane Salaun, the sixth overall pick in last June’s draft.
Charlotte Hornets:
Seth Curry: Probable (Right knee)
Josh Green: Probable (Left shoulder)
Lamelo Ball: Out (Right ankle impingement)
Tre Mann: Out (Disc)
Brandon Miller: Out (Right wrist surgery)
Josh Okogie: Out (Left hamstring injury management)
Grant Williams: Out (Right ACL)
The Hornets were a popular pick to make somewhat of a jump this season behind Miller, Ball, and new head coach Charles Lee. Instead, they’ve had a terrible year sitting at 18-56 despite playing in the woeful Eastern Conference.
A big part of their losses are the injuries that have piled up. Miller looked the part of a young guy poised for a year two breakout but only played 27 games before being lost for the season with a wrist injury. Now, Charlotte hopes to find him and Ball a running mate in June’s draft.
Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 pm MT.
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