The Utah Jazz have one more game before the NBA’s infamous clock stops at 1:00 PM MT on February 8th. On Tuesday, they face the Oklahoma City Thunder at home and face one of the strongest teams in the West. The last two times these teams played each other this season, the Jazz fell both times.
Utah fell short 120-134 in the first meeting in OKC in December, and the second game in Salt Lake City in January wasn’t much different with a final score of 129-134. It is important for Utah to win 3 of 4 games this season. The Jazz are currently a game under .500 at the deadline and firmly in the play-in race. This team needs to get some positive momentum going if they want to continue this promising season.Both teams released their injury reports on Tuesday night, with the Thunder giving individual collections to their roster.
Utah Jazz:Ochai Agbaji – Suspect (illness)Taylor Hendrix – OUT (G-League)Bryce Sensabo – OUT (G-League)Johnny Juzang – OFF (Double Front)Micah Porter – OUT (Two Ways)Jason Preston – OUT (Two Ways)
Oklahoma City Thunder:Jalen Williams – Questionable (ankle)Kayson Wallace – Questionable (shoulder)Osman Dieng – Doubtful (hip)Jaylin Williams – Doubtful (Achilles)Isaiah Joe out (chest)Davis Bertans – Doubtful (knee)Vasil Michic – Suspicious (single)Lindy Waters III – Doubtful (solo)The Jazz finally put Ochai Agbaji on the cards due to an illness, but his pregame status remains unclear. In the hours leading up to the announcement, you could be listed as a suspect and declared active before that time. For the Thunder, they have eight players on the injury report, seven of which are actually injured. The team is led by young star Jalen Williams, who is dealing with a sprained ankle.
The core of Shai-Gilgeus Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddy remains intact, but OKC’s lack of depth could be a huge problem in this matchup with the Jazz.Tipoff for the Jazz and Thunder will be broadcast live from the Delta Center at 7 p.m., as Utah looks for its second straight win before the deadline.
