Clippers aim for sixth straight win as the Jazz's injury woes mount.
The Los Angeles Clippers (11-21) will look to extend their season-best five-game winning streak when they host the Utah Jazz (12-20) at Intuit Dome on Thursday night, and while the injury report looks mostly unchanged for the home team, Utah is dealing with some new issues that could work in the Clippers' favor.
Clippers Remain Without Key Pieces
The Clippers will once again be without three key rotation players for tonight's matchup, as Ivica Zubac, Bradley Beal, and Bogdan Bogdanovic remain sidelined.
Zubac continues to recover from a Grade 2 left ankle sprain that he suffered during a win over the Lakers on December 21st and is expected to miss at least another couple of weeks.
Bogdanovic has also been out for an extended period with a left hip contusion.
The good news for the Clippers is that their star duo of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are healthy and rolling right now.
Leonard has been on fire during the winning streak and is averaging 37.8 points over the last five games, which includes a career-high 55-point explosion against the Detroit Pistons.
On the season, Leonard is putting up 27.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.
Harden has been a steady force as well, contributing 26.1 points and 8.0 assists per game while making 3.4 three-pointers per contest, which ranks sixth in the league.
"I think we're just playing better and the cream is rising to the top," Leonard said after a recent win. "You see all the work guys are putting in and they're making threes now."
Jazz Facing Major Injury Concerns
While the Clippers have found consistency despite their missing players, the Jazz are dealing with fresh problems heading into this road trip.
Utah has listed four starters on the injury report, which includes Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George as out.
Markkanen picked up a new left knee contusion that will keep him out as the Jazz play it safe with their All-Star forward who is averaging 27.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
George has been battling an illness but did play through it in Utah's recent loss to the Boston Celtics, scoring 37 points despite being under the weather.
The bigger concern for the Jazz is the loss of Jusuf Nurkic, who has been ruled out with a left toe sprain that appeared on the injury report late Wednesday.
Nurkic has been playing a bigger role after Walker Kessler went down with a season-ending shoulder injury back in November.
Rookie Ace Bailey, who has been averaging 10.4 points per game, will also miss the game due to a left hip flexor strain that has kept him out of the last two contests.
Kevin Love and Georges Niang are also out, giving Utah one of the longest injury reports in the league heading into the new year.
What This Means for the Clippers
The Clippers are catching the Jazz at the perfect time as Utah begins a four-game road trip while missing several key contributors.
This is the first meeting between these teams since the Jazz beat the Clippers 129-108 on opening night back in October, and the Clippers will be looking for some revenge while also trying to climb back toward playoff contention.
With Leonard and Harden both playing at a high level and the Jazz without their top two scorers in Markkanen and George, the Clippers should have a real advantage in this one.
Tip-off is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at Intuit Dome.