by Alma Bean
The Utah Jazz (12-6) is wrapping up their two-game road trip against the Los Angeles Clippers (10-7) on Monday night.
What to Look For
Utah last played on Saturday where they beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-113 on the second night of a back-to-back. Tonight’s matchup against Los Angeles being the second game of Utah’s short road trip, they will be hit with an all too familiar foe of the NBA, the injury bug. In Utah’s last game, starting point guard Mike Conley, suffered a leg injury. Initially reported to be out for two weeks, it was later reported that he will be monitored day-to-day and may return sooner. In Conley’s absence, expect to see spikes in minutes for Malik Beasley and Talen Horton-Tucker. Both capitalized on this opportunity both scoring more than their season averages. Beasley scored 29 points off the bench and 56 points over the last two games. Los Angeles will be looking to end his hot streak.
Los Angeles fans can jump for joy knowing that Kawhi Leonard was nowhere to be found on the injury report this morning. Leonard has only played four games this season and fans have been wondering if they’ll ever see an MVP type season out of him again. Just like their previous meeting, Utah will need to keep an eye on Ivica Zubac. Currently third in blocks and top-10 in rebounds, Zubac’s presence in the paint is something that cannot be ignored. Zubac was just a single rebound from getting a rebound against Utah earlier this month. Los Angeles is currently ranked last in the NBA in team ppg (105.2) but are ranked second in opponent ppg (105.4). Utah may want to look into fouling down the stretch since Los Angeles is currently ranked in the bottom-five in the league in free throw percentage (74.3%).
Injury Report
Los Angeles- Paul George: Out (knee), Luke Kennard: Out (calf)
Utah- Ochai Agbaji: Out (G League), Leandro Bolmaro: Out (G League), Mike Conley: Out (leg), Rudy Gay: Out (hand), Johnny Juzang: Out (G League), Micah Potter: Out (G League)
Where to Watch?
Tonight’s matchup between Los Angeles and Utah will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. MT on NBA TV. Local broadcast will also be available on AT&T SportsNet.