A lot of injuries for both teams.
After two much-needed off-days, the Golden State Warriors are back at work tonight, hosting the Utah Jazz in a game they absolutely need to win. And in a nice change of pace, the Warriors no longer stand out as the dramatically more injured team than their opponent, though that’s less because Golden State is healthy, and more because Utah is also banged up.
Here’s the full injury report for tonight’s game, which is at 7:00 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Bay Area.
Warriors
Out — Draymond Green (left calf strain)
The Warriors announced on Monday that Green is starting to take part in on-court activities again, but that he’ll miss the next three games, starting tonight. The hope is that he’ll return to practice over the weekend, and be back on the court Monday night when the Warriors take on the Orlando Magic in their final home game before hosting the All-Star Game on February 16.
Out — Jonathan Kuminga (right ankle sprain)
Golden State also released an update on Kuminga on Monday, announcing that he’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks. That means that JK is likely out through the All-Star break, and is probably targeting a return in the Warriors’ first game back from the break, when they face the Sacramento Kings on February 21.
Jazz
Out — Lauri Markkanen (low back injury management)
The Warriors won’t face the tall scorer they tried so hard to acquire over the offseason, as Markkanen will miss his 11th game of the year. Utah has fared fairly well (relatively speaking) without their top scorer this year … they’ve gone 4-6 while Markkanen is sidelined, compared to just 6-28 when he’s healthy.
Out — Jordan Clarkson (left plantar fasciitis injury management)
Golden State is catching a break by facing a Jazz team that is on the back end of a back-to-back. Markkanen and Clarkson — who combine to average 35.6 points per game this year — both played last night in Utah’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, but will rest their injuries in this game.
Out — John Collins (illness)
Collins is sitting for other reasons, but he’s also a big loss for the Jazz, especially on offense. Utah will be without their Nos. 1 (Markkanen), 3 (Collins), and 5 (Clarkson) scorers tonight … and they already have a bottom-10 offense to begin with.
Out — Walker Kessler (left shoulder contusion)
In addition to losing three of their best scorers, the Jazz are losing their most efficient, too. Kessler, a third-year center, leads the NBA with a 73.3% field goal percentage this season. Life just got easier for Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kevon Looney, and Quinten Post, as Kessler is a mammoth of an old-school big man who is averaging 11.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game.
Out — Taylor Hendricks (right fibula fracture)
You’ve got to feel for the Jazz. Not only are they one of the worst teams in the NBA, but they’ve lost a lot of watchability this year. Part of that has been the loss of Hendricks, a 2023 lottery pick who sustained a season-ending injury in just the third game of the season.
Out — Johnny Juzang (right hand fracture)
Juzang is still trying to find his footing in his third NBA season, but he’s been having a quietly strong season. He’s already played a career best 32 games and, despite playing just 17.8 minutes per night, is averaging 7.3 points per game and shooting 40.0% from deep. This will be his ninth straight game missed, and it looks like he’ll have to miss a bit more, too.
Out — Cody Williams (left ankle sprain)
This injury list is getting very long! In addition to missing their lottery pick from 2023, the Jazz will also be without their lottery pick from 2024. Williams, the 10th overall pick in June, has modest stats in his rookie year but has been playing 21 minutes per game.
Available — Collin Sexton (left fourth finger DIP avulsion fracture)
Utah’s injury list is so long that it would almost be easier to list who is available, and the Jazz apparently had that same thought by putting two such players on the report. Sexton, the team’s second-leading scorer, was a question mark last night, but has been cleared to play.
Available — Oscar Tshiebwe (left fourth finger extension tendon tear)
What is going on with left fourth fingers in Utah? And why are we not calling them ring fingers? Either way, Tshiebwe — an undrafted second-year big man — is available and, given how extensive the list of Jazz players who are out is, I’d guess he’ll see some action. That’s big news for Tshiebwe, who has played in just three games this year, and just 11 total in his young career.
Enjoy the action, Dub Nation!