Featured image courtesy USAToday
by Alma Bean
For Halloween, rather than doing some trick-or-treating, the Utah Jazz (5-2) will be taking on the visiting Memphis Grizzlies (4-2) to end their two-game home stint.
What to Look For
The last time these two teams faced off was this past weekend. In NBA Classic fashion, the game came down to the final shot. Though it is an early season matchup, generating wins this early could be influential to playoff seeding down the road. Both Memphis and Utah had four players out which forced them to rely on the strengths of the benches. Though each team’s bench played a crucial role in the game, the starters on both sides stepped up their game. With Utah getting the 124-123 win as the starters accounted for 93 of their points. The starters for Memphis accounted for 97 of their points.
As of this morning, Walker Kessler (non-COVID illness) participated in shootaround but no decision on his game status has been released. Utah will be hopeful to have versatility in lineups by having a player with his length available. Also off the injury report is Mike Conley. He sat out during the previous matchup for rest since the game was the second game of a back-to-back. Bringing Conley back to the lineup will create better ball movement and court vision since he’s currently averaging 7.3 assists-per-game.
For Memphis, star Ja Morant is still listed as questionable going into Monday’s game. Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks will be key factors to keeping Monday’s game competitive. They accounted for 62 of the 97 points in the starting lineup last Saturday night. Brooks continued to have answers to Utah’s in-game adjustments and kept his defenders on their toes. Though these two will gain a significant amount of attention, Tyus Jones will also be a quiet threat. Without Morant during Saturday’s game, Jones capitalized on this starting opportunity. Jones was third on the team in scoring (23) while being the game leader in assists with 10. His 23 points came off an efficient night of shooting, going 3/5 (60 percent) from beyond the perimeter and 10/15 (66.7 percent) overall.
Injury Report
Memphis- Ja Morant: Questionable (non-COVID illness), Jake LaRavia: Questionable (non-COVID illness), Desmond Bane: Questionable (ankle soreness), Ziaire Williams: Out (knee), Jaren Jackson Jr.: Out (foot), Danny Green: Out (knee)
Utah- Walker Kessler: Questionable (non-COVID illness), Leandro Bolmaro: Out (health & safety protocol), Simone Fontecchio: Out (health & safety protocol), Rudy Gay: Out (health & safety protocol)
Where to Watch
Tip-off between Memphis and Utah will be at 7:00 p.m. MT on AT&T SportsNet.