by Alma Bean
Feature Image: Photo by Ryan Sun of Deseret News.
The Utah Jazz (31-33) comes back to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (29-34) for a quick rematch hoping to leave with the win.
What to Look For
After a disappointing 130-103 loss in their previous meeting on Friday, Utah will look to not have history repeat itself. With Lauri Markkanen out in their rematch due to lower back soreness, Utah will be without their leading scorer (25.2 PPG) and leading rebounder (8.6 RPG) but will see the return of Jordan Clarkson who has been out for two games with a thumb injury. In Markkanen’s absence, expect Utah to utilize those minutes with Simone Fontecchio and Johnny Juzang to still have some defensive pressure at the small forward position. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has missed the last five games with an ankle and abdominal injury along with entering the league’s health and safety protocols, will return tonight. The series is currently tied up with a 1-1 record with Oklahoma City outscoring Utah from 124.5 to 111.5.
Key of the Game
Make smart passes and space awareness. This might sound simplistic, but Utah struggled with this in their previous matchup. Utah had 25 turnovers last game and 19 of them came from the starting lineup. It will be more beneficial to use the whole shot clock than to force a quick shot in hopes of making SportsCenter’s Top-10 plays.
Injury Report
Oklahoma City- Chet Holmgren: Out (foot), Aleksej Pokusevski: Out (leg), Kenrich Williams: Out (wrist)
Utah- Lauri Markkanen: Out (back), Micah Potter: Out (G League), Collin Sexton: Out (hamstring)
Where to Watch
Tip-off between Oklahoma City and Utah will be at 5:00 p.m. MT on AT&T SportsNet.