Markkanen amassed 25 points (6-8 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 9-10 FT), five rebounds and one assist over 35 minutes during Saturday's 121-117 loss to the Kings.
Markkanen overcame an issue with his eye and posted an excellent line in the loss, providing a much-needed offensive boost for the Jazz. The team went 0-3 during his recent absence, highlighting the need for Markkanen's consistent production to stay afloat. His shot accuracy in the loss was an encouraging sign, as he's struggled to find the bottom of the basket in recent weeks.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Set to play against Sacramento
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Markkanen (eye) is available for Saturday's game versus the Kings, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News reports.
Markkanen has been upgraded from questionable to available Saturday despite dealing with a left eye contusion. The star forward has had a slow start to the season, shooting just 39.8 percent from the field.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Questionable to play Saturday
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Markkanen (eye) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Kings, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Markkanen was initially diagnosed with a nose injury during Thursday's win over the Mavericks, but it appears the 27-year-old forward is dealing with an eye injury. If he's unable to play Saturday, Cody Williams and John Collins would both be in line for increased minutes, with the former more likely to move into the Jazz's starting lineup.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Suffers nose injury Thursday
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Markkanen finished with 13 points (4-8 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five rebounds and two assists across 24 minutes in Thursday's 115-113 win over the Mavericks before he exited the game in the fourth quarter due to a nose injury and didn't return, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
The severity of the injury is unclear, though it's worth noting that his nose made an odd movement after he got hit, according to Larsen. The veteran forward should be viewed as questionable heading into Saturday's game against the Kings until the Jazz provide further updates on his condition.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Bounces back in win
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Markkanen supplied 20 points (5-15 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 7-8 FT), six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 36 minutes during Saturday's 111-110 victory over San Antonio.
Markkanen didn't have his most productive night shooting the basketball, but Saturday was an obvious improvement in comparison to his eight-point showing Thursday night against the Bucks. The big man has managed to put up solid numbers across the board since back spasms forced him to miss three games, collecting 13 rebounds, eight assists and four steals in two appearances.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Limited production in return
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Markkanen (back) turned in eight points (3-10 FG, 2-6 3Pt), seven rebounds, four assists and two steals across 29 minutes in Thursday's 123-100 loss to the Bucks.
Markkanen was back in action after missing the previous three games with back spasms, but his return along with Jordan Clarkson's (heel) from a two-game absence was not enough to keep the Jazz competitive, as Milwaukee ran away with the win after outscoring Utah 31-16 in the third quarter. In addition to missing time with the back issue, Markkanen has largely struggled to match the production he delivered during his first two campaigns in Utah during the early stages of the current season. Through five appearances, Markkanen is averaging 16.0 points (on 37.1 percent shooting from the field), 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 three-pointers and 2.2 assists in 28.4 minutes. While his scoring should improve once his field-goal percentage inevitably veers closer to his 45.8 percent career rate, Markkanen could be at risk of missing time late in the season if the 1-7 Jazz find themselves well removed from the playoff picture.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Available Thursday
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Markkanen (back) is available for Thursday's game against Milwaukee.
The star forward has missed the club's last three outings due to lower back spasms, though he is expected to reclaim his starting role from Kyle Filipowski on Thursday and won't face any kind of minutes restriction, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Markkanen has appeared in four regular-season games thus far, during which he has averaged 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 38.5 percent from the field across 28.5 minutes per game.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Expected to play against Milwaukee
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Markkanen (back) is probable for Thursday's game versus the Bucks, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Markkanen has been upgraded from questionable to probable Thursday after missing Utah's previous three outings due to back spasms. If the star forward is further upgraded to available, he should reclaim his starting job from Kyle Filipowski.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Practices Wednesday
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Markkanen (back) was a full participant during Wednesday's practice, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. He remains questionable for Thursday's game against Milwaukee.
Markkanen has missed three consecutive contests due to back spasms but is trending in the right direction ahead of Thursday's matchup against the Bucks. In his absence, Kyle Filipowski has averaged 18.3 minutes per game, while Drew Eubanks has averaged 18.7 minutes per game, but both would likely be reduced to sporadic playing time upon Markkanen's return.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Won't play Monday
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Markkanen (back) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Bulls.
Markkanen was initially listed as questionable to return Monday from a two-game absence due to lower back spasms, but he was downgraded to doubtful before eventually being ruled out. He'll have a couple of days of rest before his next chance at suiting up Thursday against the Bucks. Kyle Filipowski is likely to remain in the Jazz's starting five while Markkanen is sidelined.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Downgraded to doubtful
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Markkanen (back) has been downgraded to doubtful for Monday's game against the Bulls, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Markkanen was previously listed as questionable, and he was able to go through portions of the morning shootaround Monday, but the Jazz will are seemingly leaning toward holding him out again. With Markkanen set to miss a third straight contest, Kyle Filipowski is likely to continue starting at power forward.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Questionable for Monday
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Markkanen (back) is questionable for Monday's game against the Bulls, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Markkanen has missed two straight games due to back spasms, allowing Kyle Filipowski to enter the starting lineup. If Markkanen is cleared to return, he'll likely face some restrictions.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Downgraded to out
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Markkanen (back) won't play in Saturday's game versus the Nuggets, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Markkanen will miss his second consecutive contest Saturday while dealing with back spasms. Kyle Filipowski will likely draw another start in his absence. Markkanen's next chance to suit up is Monday's matchup with Chicago.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Unlikely to play Saturday
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Markkanen (back) is doubtful for Saturday's game against the Nuggets, Ben Anderson of KSL News Salt Lake City reports.
Markkanen is expected to miss a second straight game after experiencing back spasms during Tuesday's loss to the Kings. With Taylor Hendricks (lower leg) also out, Kyle Filipowski and Cody Williams have been starting in the frontcourt next to Walker Kessler.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Won't go Thursday
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Markkanen (back) is out for Thursday's game against the Spurs, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
Markkanen experienced back spasms during Tuesday's game against Sacramento and was forced to leave early, and the team appears to be playing it safe by giving him a few extra days to recover. John Collins and Kyle Filipowski are candidates to start at power forward Thursday in Markkanen's absence.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Deemed questionable for Thursday
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Markkanen (back) is questionable for Thursday's game against the Spurs, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
Markkanen left Tuesday's game against the Kings with back spasms, and he's at risk of missing Thursday's tilt due to the injury. Kyle Filipowski and John Collins would be first in line for minutes if Markkanen were to sit out.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Out for remainder of game
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Markkanen won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Kings due to lower back spasms, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News reports.
Markkanen tallied seven points (3-5 FG, 1-3 3Pt), three rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes before exiting Tuesday's contest early. In Markkanen's absence, Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh and John Collins are candidates to receive increased playing time.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Inefficient during Friday's blowout
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Markkanen provided 13 points (4-17 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 4-7 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and one steal over 27 minutes during Friday's 127-86 loss to the Warriors.
The Jazz shot just 31.5 percent from the field Friday (including 9-for-42 from three-point range), and Markkanen was not immune from those shooting struggles as he connected on less than 25 percent of his field-goal attempts. It was a far cry from his 35-point outing during the Jazz's loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday, but these nights will happen for a young team coming off a 31-win 2023-24 campaign. Markkanen will look to bounce back against Dallas on Monday.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Scores 35 points in tight loss
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Markkanen chipped in 35 points (9-15 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 13-14 FT), nine rebounds and two assists over 35 minutes during Wednesday's 126-124 loss to the Grizzlies.
Markkanen led all players in scoring Wednesday, but his impressive performance wasn't enough to lift the Jazz to victory in this season opener. Fresh off signing a five-year, $238 million contract extension with the Jazz during the offseason, Markkanen is firmly established as Utah's go-to player on offense. Both his numbers and his usage rate in this season opener certainly backed that up.
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Jazz's Lauri Markkanen: Returns from rest with solid line
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Markkanen logged 21 points (4-10 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 10-10 FT), four rebounds and a blocked shot across 32 minutes in Tuesday's 117-114 win over the Kings.
The Jazz went all-in with Markkanen during the offseason, signing him to a five-year, $238 million extension. Injuries plagued Markkanen somewhat last season, and it's a pattern he has replicated often during his seven-year career. He's never recorded more than 68 games during his tenures with Chicago, Cleveland and Utah. Although he's invaluable when healthy, his fantasy potential will only be fully realized if he can reverse that trend.
