The Utah Jazz may be able to pull a rare feat this season come Saturday night
By Chad Porto
The Utah Jazz may pull off a first all season; a three-game winning streak. The Jazz are going to have most of their quality players back on Saturday just in time for their game against the Sacramento Kings, with Lauri Markkanen ready to go, and albatrosses like Jordan Clarkson and John Collins out for the game.
The Jazz are 2-0 without Clarkson and Collins in the lineup, and while the Sacramento Kings are no pushover, the Jazz may find their third-straight win in a row, a season first, against the Kings. The team plays better defense without both men, the offense is better flowing and the overall effort is higher. Coupled that with more minutes to Kelly Olynyk, Kris Dunn, and Ochai Agbaji in the process, and the Jazz would have a good shot at winning regardless.
They have an even better shot at winning if Kings' star De'Aaron Fox is out. He's listed as questionable with a right shoulder issue, and it's likely he misses the game should something change in the next few hours. And while the Kings are still dangerous, especially with Domantas Sabonis leading the offense, not having a 30-point scorer never helped anyone.
Especially when it comes to the Jazz, who have had defensive perimeter issues all season, and without the worry of Fox, the Jazz's defense may be able to put together a decent outing. Especially if their starting lineup includes Olynyk, Agbaji, and Walker, with Collin Sexton and Markkanen rounding out the starting five.
That's the Jazz's best starting five they could produce that's well-balanced. One that could work on defense and offense. And if they throw that lineup out there, against a Fox-less Kings team, then the Jazz may just be able to pull off that three-peat for the first time all season.
And if they do that, who knows what the next week could look like?