What the Jazz Need To Do To Survive November

The Utah Jazz lost yet another game on Friday night, this time at the hands of the Houston Rockets. After a tightly contested first three quarters, Houston edged out a victory at home. Alperen Sengun had 43 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on an astounding 17-of-24 from the field.

Utah has now lost 11 games in a row. Right now, the Jazz are 1-12, 15th in the West and 0-2 in NBA Cup play. Their only win is at home over the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 23, and they are a dismal 0-6 on the road.

Rather than trying to thrust their way back into contention, the Jazz must figure out a way to salvage the remaining games in the month. 

There is no way to shake off all the injuries they've taken. It happens in basketball.

Lauri Markkanen will miss the next month with a right-hand fracture (at least); Jaren Jackson Jr. won't return until December at the earliest; and Nurkic is still sidelined with a toe injury from the preseason.

It was encouraging to see point guard Keyonte George put up 30 points in the losing effort after spraining his ankle, but that is the only positive I could find.

They have eight games remaining:

They have a good chance of winning a few games toward the end of the month. Getting their first road win against a 3-8 Clippers squad is doable, sweeping the Suns and beating Dallas. That would put them 5-16 heading into December. Clearly not where they want to be, but it means going 4-4 in the eight-game stretch.

George needs to keep scoring at an elite level. Without Markkanen and Jackson, it's on him to run the offense. While it is out of their control, staying healthy is a top priority. Losing Ace Bailey or Darryn Peterson could affect not only the rest of the month, but well beyond the future.

Sunday marks the third time Utah has had to face San Antonio this season. A shocking win at home could be the fuel heading into Los Angeles on Tuesday. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. EST.