The Utah Jazz head into Wednesday night’s matchup with Orlando carrying plenty of injury baggage, but there is at least one encouraging sign before tip-off: Keyonte George has a chance to return.
George was bumped up to questionable with a right ankle sprain after missing Utah’s last game against the Miami Heat. That absence came after he picked up the injury in the Jazz’s previous meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and now there’s a real possibility he’s back after sitting out just one game. His status will be clearer closer to tip-off, but the trend is moving the right way for a Jazz team that has been stretched thin early in the season.
Utah’s availability report is still packed with major names. Lauri Markkanen is out with a right hand fracture, Jaren Jackson Jr. remains out with a right knee MCL tear, and Jusuf Nurkic is also sidelined with a right foot second plantar plate tear. Trey Alexander is out as well because of his G League two-way status.
Markkanen’s absence is the freshest blow. He was already listed on the injury report before the Heat game, and reports on Wednesday made it clear that Utah’s star forward is expected to miss the next month because of the fractured wrist. He had been dealing with a wrist issue a couple of weeks ago that cost him one game, but this latest setback is more serious and will keep him out longer.
Jackson Jr.’s injury dates back to October 26th, when he first went down against the Memphis Grizzlies. Nurkic, meanwhile, still has not made his regular season debut.
Orlando has its own list to manage. Paolo Banchero is out with a right high ankle sprain, while Jonathan Isaac is also out for left knee injury management. Izaiyah Nelson is out with left ankle injury recovery, and Noah Penda is sidelined by a partially torn right hamstring.
There are also a couple of Magic players worth watching. Jamal Cain is questionable with a left shoulder contusion, and Tristan da Silva is questionable with a left calf strain. Both have a chance to give Orlando a lift on the wing if they’re cleared.
The Jazz and Magic are set to tip at 7 p.m. MT at the Delta Center. Utah is trying to stop the slide after dropping nine of its first 11 games, and a win would be a much-needed result on the second night of a back-to-back.
In Other News...
Lauri Markkanen Injury Is The Last Thing This Jazz Team Needed
The Jazz were already trying to piece together a difficult start to the season when Lauri Markkanen went down again, this time after Fridays game against Dallas. Utah said he has two nondisplaced fractures in his right hand and will be reevaluated in four weeks, another frustrating setback for a team that has already spent too much time dealing with injuries and trying to find any kind of rhythm.
Markkanen had previously been sidelined with what was initially believed to be a sprained wrist, and the latest update only deepens the concern around a core player who has battled multiple injuries during his time in Utah. For a team already searching for traction, losing one of its most important scorers and frontcourt pieces adds another layer of uncertainty to a season that has not offered much relief. [Read more 🡒]
Lauri Markkanens Injury News Just Made Utahs Rotation Even Thinner
Utahs rotation took another hit with Lauri Markkanen now dealing with a right-hand injury that will keep him out for a significant stretch. The forward has sustained a non-displaced fracture and is expected to miss at least a month, a setback that comes on top of the earlier wrist strain he dealt with this season.
For a Jazz team already trying to navigate a long list of sidelined key players, the timing is especially rough. Markkanens absence strips away one of the groups most dependable scoring options and leaves Utah with even less margin for error as it tries to piece together minutes and production from an already stretched roster. [Read more 🡒]
Lauri Markkanen Injury Leaves Jazz Facing An Early Season Breaking Point
Lauri Markkanens latest injury has only deepened an already rough opening for Utah, with the forward now sidelined after a right hand issue that was first described as a wrist sprain. The update matters because Markkanen has been one of the few players the Jazz could count on for stability as they try to settle into the 2026-27 season, and losing him strips another layer from a roster already trying to find its footing.
The bigger concern for Utah is how quickly the injuries are piling up around him. Markkanen is now part of a growing list that has left the Jazz scrambling for answers in the early going, and the timing could hardly be worse for a team that has already spent much of the season in survival mode. How Utah manages the next stretch without him may say a lot about whether this start becomes a temporary stumble or something far more damaging. [Read more 🡒]