Ochai Agbaji Gets Going Early In Second-Career Start

MEMPHIS – In the first quarter against the Grizzlies on Wednesday, Ochai Agbaji got off to a hot start. He scored 7 points in the first quarter on 3/4 shooting.

Ochai Agbaji also added a steal which turned into a fastbreak layup.

good eye, Ochai 👀 pic.twitter.com/mWku06NTFc

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 16, 2023

Despite Agbaji’s early heroics, the Jazz found themselves down big after the first quarter, 35-21.

This was partly due to turnovers. Jazz had 9 of them in the opening quarter to Memphis’ 2.

20-3 RUN FOR THE GANG pic.twitter.com/XJ7tZHGDWK

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 16, 2023

Grizzlies capitalized on these turnovers on their way to a 20-3 run.

The Jazz are in Memphis to close a four-game road trip before returning home to host the All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.

Despite a significant shakeup to the team’s roster at last week’s trade deadline, the team is 2-1 through the first three games of the road swing.

Markkanen Out Against Grizzlies

Markkanen is preparing to start in Sunday night’s All-Star game but is listed as out against the Grizzlies with right knee soreness.

The forward hasn’t missed a game since January 16 and is averaging 25.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists over the last 12 games since returning to the floor.

Lauri Markkanen will participate in the three-point contest! 👌#TakeNote https://t.co/C7Ij1ufrCa

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 14, 2023

In addition to Sunday’s main event, Markkanen is also set to compete in Saturday night’s Three-Point Shootout.

Since trading Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt a week ago, the Jazz have gone 2-1.

Grizzlies Limping Into All-Star Break

Despite owning the second seed in the West heading into Friday’s All-Star break the Grizzlies have hardly looked like a contender in recent weeks.

Memphis is just 3-9 in its last 12 outings including a 119-109 loss to the league-leading Boston Celtics on Sunday.

one more time for the one time.

📺 @GrizzOnBally
📻 @929espn
⏰ 7pm
🆚 @utahjazz
🎁 @U_S_Steel
🎟 ⤵️

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 15, 2023

The team’s struggles are due in part to the absence of Steven Adams. Adams hasn’t played since suffering a right knee sprain in January.

The Grizzlies are 3-7 in their last 10 games without the veteran center.

Utah Jazz Vs. Memphis Grizzlies Broadcast

The Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies will tip off at 6 pm MT. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. It can also be streamed on DirecTV Stream and FuboTV.

Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.

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