In the second night of a back-to-back, the Utah Jazz (12-38) are facing off against the Los Angeles Clippers (28-23) at the Intuit Dome.
After an overtime loss against the Phoenix Suns, the Jazz fly into Los Angeles to see some familiar faces they flipped during the trade deadline. Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills, who the Jazz traded for P.J. Tucker, Mo Bamba, and a 2030 second-round pick, will suit up for the first time against their former team. While neither veteran was integral to the Jazz's long-term plans, Eubanks in particular left a strong imprint on Utah with his toughness and grit at the backup center position. In a limited roll, Eubanks served as a great motivator for Walker Kessler, who is currently having a career-best season.
Despite their continued losses, the Jazz are playing their best basketball of the season, in large part because of improved play from their young players. Isaiah Collier, who struggled to start the season, has played at a rookie of the year level over the last 13 games. In that stretch, he has averaged 13.9 points, 8.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds on 46.8% shooting from the field. While turnovers and long-range shooting remain a problem for Collier, his ability to control and facilitate the offense is a clear NBA-level skill. It stands as a fantastic building block for the young guard.
For the Clippers, tonight they look to end a three-game skid. While firmly in the playoff race, the Clippers are only three games out of either the 4th or 10th seed, making every game extremely important.