Beal Out As Jazz Host Suns In In-Season Tournament
Nov 16, 2023, 1:57 PM | Updated: Nov 17, 2023, 2:10 pm
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson celebrates an in-season tournament win (Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz will look to stay undefeated in In-Season Tournament play when they host the shorthanded Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
The Jazz have opened Tournament play with wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers to sit near the top of Group A in the Western Conference.
The Suns are 0-1 in group play with a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on November 10.
Utah Jazz In-Season Tournament Standings
Though unbeaten in In-Season Tournament play, the Jazz are technically in second place in the Group A standings.
In addition to each team’s record during group play, the NBA is also weighing point differential to help determine tiebreakers and wild card winners to advance to the next round of the In-Season Tournament.
New NBA In-Season Tournament standings are here 👀
The Lakers, Nuggets, and Timberwolves each move to 2-0 and first place in their groups! 🏆
For more, download the NBA App: https://t.co/T2ytjrfB0m pic.twitter.com/k7YgYoQFir
— NBA (@NBA) November 15, 2023
The Jazz and the Lakers are both 2-0 in group play, but the Lakers have outscored their first two opponents by a combined 30 points in their wins while the Jazz are +22.
After hosting the Suns on Friday, the Jazz will conclude group play against the Lakers in Los Angeles next Tuesday in their final cup game.
If the Jazz beat both Phoenix and LA, they’ll advance to the round of eight in the tournament. If they lose either, or both, their future will be determined by score differential and the records of other teams in cup play across the league.
Jazz Have Improved As They Prepare For Suns
After a clunky 2-7 start to the season, the Jazz have won back-to-back games as they prepare to host the Suns.
The Jazz knocked off the Grizzlies to earn their first road win last Friday before dismissing the Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
While neither Memphis nor Portland are near the top of the Western Conference rankings, the Jazz have made significant strides on both ends of the floor in their last two outings.\
The @utahjazz have begun playing a more aggressive style of defense, and it’s helped them jump out to a 2-0 record in In-Season Tournament play.
Plus, thoughts on Keyonte George’s rookie shooting numbers. #TakeNote https://t.co/evbd98p9NU
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 15, 2023
Over their first nine games of the season the Jazz owned the 17th ranked offense and the 27th ranked defense in the NBA.
In their last two wins, however, the Jazz have had the league’s ninth-best offense and the fifth-best defense.
Before the game, the Jazz announced that rookies Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh had returned to the roster after missing the last five games working with the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League.
Suns Coming Off Timberwolves Blowout
The Suns will travel to Utah after Wednesday’s 133-115 blowout victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Phoenix was planning to debut their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal against Minnesota, but Beal was ruled inactive shortly before the game due to back tightness.
Nas, you are cleared for takeoff 🛫 pic.twitter.com/79MNxgze2f
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 16, 2023
Sitting at 5-6, the Suns have had a disappointing start to the year with both Booker and Beal missing eight of the team’s first 11 games.
On Friday it was announced that Beal would miss an additional three weeks of games as the team continues to monitor his back injury.
Despite their injuries, the Suns own the 10th-best offensive rating in the NBA and the 15th-best defense.
Booker is listed as probably against the Jazz.
The two teams will meet again Sunday in Salt Lake City.
How To Watch Jazz And Suns
The Jazz will host the Suns on Friday at 8 pm MST in Salt Lake City. The game will be televised on ESPN and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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