The Utah Jazz will head into Monday night’s preseason matchup with San Antonio in fairly good shape, at least compared with what the Spurs are dealing with.
Utah has officially listed three players as out for its third preseason game. Kyle Filipowski, Jusuf Nurkic and Blake Hinson will all miss the contest, though only one of those absences is newly added.
Filipowski and Nurkic have been unavailable since training camp opened. Filipowski has been sidelined since surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back, and head coach Will Hardy recently said the big man is recovering well but still does not have a clear timetable.
Nurkic, meanwhile, is staying out after suffering a foot injury in the Jazz’s preseason opener against the Denver Nuggets. Utah said that injury will keep him sidelined for at least four weeks.
With both frontcourt players unavailable, veteran Jaxson Hayes could get the start at center again. He also started Utah’s second preseason game against Denver once Nurkic’s injury became public.
Hinson, one of Utah’s two-way signees, was a late addition to the report because of an adductor injury.
San Antonio’s injury list is much longer. The Spurs will be without Tobias Harris, Jayden Quaintance, Carter Bryant, Malik Williams, Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell.
Five of those players are out for rest: Wembanyama, Fox, Harper, Castle and Vassell. That leaves the Spurs missing their entire starting five for the night.
The Jazz and Spurs will meet again in the regular season on October 28, when San Antonio comes back to Utah for the first matchup of the new year. For now, Monday’s preseason game gives Utah a shot at its second win of the preseason.
Tipoff is set for 7 PM MT at the Delta Center.
In Other News...
Jazz Get An Early Look At A Crucial Center Battle
Jusuf Nurkics absence is already forcing the Jazz to take a hard look at a spot that suddenly feels much thinner than it did a week ago. After the trade of Walker Kessler, Nurkic was the most proven center option on the roster, which made his toe injury especially costly as Utah tried to sort out the frontcourt rotation.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba are among the players who could be asked to cover the minutes, and the picture gets even tighter with Kyle Filipowski sidelined for the upcoming game because of a lower back injury. That leaves Hayes and Bamba with a clearer chance to grab some run, and perhaps a more meaningful opportunity to show where they fit while the Jazz wait for the front line to get healthy again. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Still Havent Given Fans The Lineup Theyre Waiting For
The preseason meeting between the Jazz and Spurs already had a different feel before tipoff, with San Antonio planning to sit a long list of players and Utah also dealing with notable absences. Kyle Filipowski will not go, and Jusuf Nurki is out with a foot injury, while Tobias Harris is set to miss the entire preseason because of a calf strain and Carter Bryant remains sidelined after an ankle injury.
For the Spurs, the bigger development is how much of the roster they are choosing to protect this early in camp. Even as the exhibition schedule is supposed to help teams sort out lineups and roles, San Antonio is holding out a group that includes Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, leaving the Jazz to navigate a matchup that is missing a lot of the names fans were hoping to see. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Keep Giving One Young Big Man Another Look
Roster churn around the back end of preseason has already been busy, and the latest moves have created another little ripple for Utah. The Jazz had to make room after trimming their list, while around the league the Mavericks kept cycling through players for the 21st spot on their preseason roster, a reminder of how fluid these final training-camp decisions can be. Dallas has already signed and waived several names in that slot, including Matt Cross, Darin Green Jr., Chris Mantis and Jorge Diaz Graham.
For Utah, the move matters because it opens up one more look at the fringe of the roster as camp continues to take shape. Wagues departure leaves the Jazz with a cleaner path to evaluate the rest of the group, and the timing also comes as other teams are still sorting out their own Exhibit 10 business. The preseason is rarely about certainty this early, but every one of these transactions can hint at who is actually getting a real chance to stick. [Read more 🡒]