Injury Report: Nikola Jokic Update About.....

The Utah Jazz lace them up versus the defending champs on Saturday night.

The Utah Jazz travel to the Mile High City on Saturday night to face the Denver Nuggets. The Jazz have some players that won’t suit up for the contest.

LauriMarkkanen (quad) and Taylor Hendricks (toe( are out, while Walker Kessler (foot) is probable. Starting point guard, Keyonte George was absent for Utah’s Wednesday night defeat versus the Chicago Bulls and is not on the injury report. As for the Nuggets, MVP candidate Nikola Jokic (arm) is probable.

All eyes are on the standings for both Utah and Denver as we head down the home stretch but for different reasons. The Nuggets are only one game removed in the loss column from the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No.1 seed in the Western Conference. The Jazz is headed in the other direction and is tied with the Houston Rockets for the ninth-best lottery odds.

Utah retaining its top 10 protected first-round picks is becoming more likely as we approach the end of the season. With only 19 games remaining, the Jazz have the second toughest schedule in the NBA, with their opponents possessing a .575 winning percentage. On the other hand, Denver’s opponents are winning games at a .471 clip.

The strength of the schedule will be key if Utah has a shot of jumping one more spot to get the eighth-best lottery odds. Currently, they are behind the Brooklyn Nets by three games, with 19 games remaining

That would be the best-case scenario for Jazz fans who are on Team Tank. It would give Utah a 6.0% chance of obtaining the No 1 pick and a 26.2% chance if a top four pick. The tip-off tonight is at 7:00 pm MST