Lauri Markkanen scored 33 points and the Utah Jazz closed on a 16-7 run to beat the Dallas Mavericks 116-114 on Thursday in Salt Lake City. Keyonte George had 19 points and seven assists for Utah, which snapped a five-game losing streak.
It looks like the Utah Jazz will be without their top-five pick for the second leg of their back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks. According to a recent injury update from the Jazz, Ace Bailey has been downgraded from questionable to out for their upcoming game against Dallas.
The Utah Jazz entered this NBA regular season forced to traverse the tricky situation that revolves around their top-eight protected first-round pick, currently in the hands of the reigning champion OKC Thunder.
The Utah Jazz, despite a resilient effort in the final moments to try and upset the reigning champion OKC Thunder on the road, came up just short in a 125-129 overtime loss for their fifth-straight game dropped on the road, and now head back home with a 12-24 record on the year––good for the 13th-ranked team in the West.
Part of what makes the NBA, or any pro sports league, so compelling to watch is the narratives, especially those centered on rivalries. Throughout the decades, the NBA has fostered a number of rivalries, some long-lasting and others short but sweet.
The Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder went toe to toe all night, and the Thunder pulled out a close one in an OT 129-125. The Jazz played extremely well in this one, considering they were matched up against the reigning NBA champions at home.
Brice Sensabaugh was viewed as something of a tweener ahead of the 2023 draft. He played power forward in his lone college season at Ohio State, but at 6’6″, he has the height of a wing, his primary position since he was selected 28th overall by the Jazz a few years ago.
Christmas and the NBA have been synonymous since the league’s inception. The very first Christmas Day game was played in 1947 at Madison Square Garden between the New York Knicks and Providence Steam Rollers.
The Boston Celtics dropped a tough 114-108 decision to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, but you can not blame Jaylen Brown for that result. Brown finished with 37 points and recorded his ninth consecutive 30-point game.
Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey is day-to-day after exiting Friday night's win against Detroit with a left hip strain. The 19-year-old forward was scoreless in 11 minutes before leaving in the first half of the 131-129 victory.
The Jazz are living in the gray area that now defines the NBA’s middle class. At 10-17 and buried in the Western Conference standings, Utah is balancing two priorities at once.