Jazz, Clippers Look To Get Healthier For Playoff Push
Mar 29, 2022, 1:04 PM
Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic attempts a shot against the Los Angeles Clippers (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Both the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers are hoping to welcome back some familiar faces when they face off tonight in LA.
The Jazz have upgraded Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Danuel House Jr. to questionable after all three missed Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Clippers meanwhile are hoping to welcome back Paul George who has missed the last 43 games with an elbow injury.
Jazz Trying To Get To 100 Percent
Throughout the season the Jazz have pointed to the playoffs as the time they hope to be playing their best basketball.
While that’s true for most teams, it may take on a different meaning for the Jazz who have been robbed of that opportunity due to injury over each of the last two seasons.
Seemingly good news for the @utahjazz as Donovan Mitchell is not on tomorrow’s injury report.
Bojan, Gobert, and House Jr. are questionable.
Whiteside and Dok are out.#TakeNote | @kslsports
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 29, 2022
The Jazz were without Bogdanovic in their first-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets in 2020 in Orlando and were without All-Star guard Mike Conley in last season’s second-round loss to the Clippers.
Though the Jazz have rarely been at full strength this season, there are currently no long-term injuries to the team’s top rotation players. If Gobert, Bogdanovic, and House Jr. can return to the roster over the next seven games, and the team can avoid any further injuries, they should be a tough out in the playoffs.
While the Jazz are hopeful that those three rotation players could return against the Clippers, reserve center Hassan Whiteside will miss his second consecutive game with a sprained foot.
Clippers Hoping George Returns
After missing several months of basketball, George appears ready to return to the floor for the Clippers at some point this week.
The All-Star forward was upgraded to questionable after going through a 5-on-5 workout with the team on Sunday.
❔Should the Jazz still be fighting for home court advantage❔
📻: @ZoneSportsNet / @kslnewsradio
📺: @NBAonTNT
🎧: https://t.co/yTfV2Fd1rEFollow @BensHoops for the best insight and analysis. #TakeNote @utahjazz pic.twitter.com/b7NXCUqUs4
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 29, 2022
Despite having played much of the season without George and Kawhi Leonard the Clippers are still in the think of the Western Conference playoff chase.
With seven games left to play, the Clippers are nearly guaranteed to finish with the eighth seed in the West and will have to win one game in the play-in tournament to earn either the seventh or eighth seed in the playoffs.
Broadcast
The Jazz and Clippers will tip-off at 8 pm MT and can be heard on KSL NewsRadio and The Zone Sports Network. The game will be televised on TNT, AT&T SportsNet, and FuboTV.
