The Utah Jazz will face the Chicago Bulls on Monday night in the Windy City. The Jazz (0-6) are still searching for their first win of the season, while the Bulls (3-3) look to get back above .500 early in the season. Both teams will have to do so with key players battling injury.
The Jazz have multiple key players listed on their injury report. Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) is questionable for the contest, while Jordan Clarkson (plantar fasciitis), Isaiah Collier (hamstring), and Taylor Hendricks (fibula) have all been ruled out.
Bulls leading scorer Zach Lavine (adductor) is questionable for the contest. Lonzo Ball is out due to a right wrist sprain. Additionally, Patrick Williams and Jalen Smith are probable to suit up. Lavine is having a bounce-back season for the Bulls after missing most of the 2023-24 season due to injury.
Markkanen, who missed the last two games due to back spasms, continues to progress toward a return. He is expected to be back in action at some point on the team’s upcoming road trip.
Clarkson remains out with plantar fasciitis. The veteran guard, recently promoted to the starting lineup, will be reevaluated at the end of the week.
Rookie guard Isaiah Collier continues to rehab his hamstring injury, which he suffered late in the postseason. Jazz fans will have to wait a little longer to see him make his debut, though. He remains out for Monday night’s contest.
If Markkanen is again sidelined, expect to see rookie Kyle Filipowski step into the starting lineup. The Jazz relied on Patty Mills, Johnny Juzang, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Drew Eubanks to soak up reserve minutes with so many players sidelined.
The Jazz will likely see a familiar face in Talen Horton-Tucker getting rotation minutes in Ball’s absence. THT was a polarizing player during his Jazz tenure. He was a late addition to the Bulls’ roster this summer.
