THE Utah Jazz have been struggling as of late with 2 straight losses on this current road trip and a 3-7 record in their last 10. It seems like the trade deadline and the trades of Simone Fontecchio, Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk have really left them struggling. And they weren’t close losses either. While they held their own against the Orlando Magic recently, the Atlanta Falcons the game was a different story, losing 124-97 and never really getting close.
Some of our regular contributors seem like shells of their former selves. Lauri Markkanen has been struggling lately. The Jazz star has not scored more than 20 in 2 consecutive games. Jordan Clarkson struggled off the bench; he also shot 20% in the last 2 games, with 5 and 6 points in the last two games. No one really stood out, except for maybe an okay game in Atlanta for Walker Kessler.
Miami, on the other hand, has been playing well lately. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have had big wins against the Philadelphia 76ers And Milwaukee Bucks recently. Jimmy Butler has been his steady killer all season, consistent and efficient. Bam Adebayo is having a fantastic All-Star caliber year, and the Heat appear to have struck gold with rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr, who looks polished and confident every night.
The Heat will be without Josh Richardson due to injury and Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith, Caleb Martin and Kevin Love all remain doubtful for the game. The Utah Jazz only have Walker Kessler as questionable on the injury report. He suffers from a foot injury.
This could prove to be a tough ending to the Utah Jazz roadtrip. Will Jazz emerge more engaged or will it be more of the same? Are players simply disengaged on a clearly tanking team or can they recapture some of that pre-trade deadline mojo that got us excited earlier in the year?
Injury report
Utah Jazz:
Walker Kessler – Questionable – Sprained right foot
Otto Porter – Out – Not with Team / Not Injury Related
The Magic of Orlando:
Josh Richardson – Away – Shoulder
Tyler Herro – Questionable – Knee
Haywood Highsmith – Questionable – Knee
Caleb Martin – Questionable – Thumb
Kevin Love – Questionable – Heel
Game information
When: March 2 – 3:00 p.m. MST
Where: Kaseya Center – Miami, FL
Watch/Stream on: NBA TV, Bally Sports Sun, KJZZ, Jazz+
Listen: WQAM 560/S: WAQI 710. KSL 97.5 FM/S: KBMG 106.3 FM
