Jazz Update Jordan Clarkson & Lauri Markkanen's Status vs. Pelicans
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and shooting guard Jordan Clarkson participated in a full practice on Monday and are trending to play in Tuesday night’s game versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
This is good news for the Jazz, who have been hit hard with the injury bug over the last two weeks. Markkanen has missed the last three games, while Clarkson was absent in Utah’s loss against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Also, veteran point guard Mike Conley practiced fully, but Collin Sexton and Simone Fontecchio did not attend.
Tuesday could be the first time in 11 games that Utah has its opening-night starting lineup intact. That stretch has been tough for the Jazz, going 3-8, but in most of those losses, Utah had leads in the fourth quarter.
As it stands now, the Jazz are in ninth place in a congested Western Conference. Utah is only a half-game from being a top-six seed, but also a half-game from being in the lottery. Parity in the NBA is at an all-time high, and it could come down to staying healthy if the Jazz want to be in the playoff conversation come April.
The Jazz start off the week playing a pair of games at home against the Pelicans before they go on a three-game road trip where they’ll face ex-Jazzman Donavon Mitchell for the first time.
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