The Utah Jazz took a tough 110-105 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, but the final score was only part of the nightmare, as both Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. left the game in the first half with injuries. It’s an absolutely brutal blow for a Jazz team that is already trying to find its footing early in the season, and now they’ve got to sweat out the MRI results for two of their absolute stars.
A Double Whammy: Markkanen’s Wrist, Jackson’s Knee
Man, talk about bad luck striking fast. Markkanen was the first to go midway through the first quarter, with the Jazz actually up 13-11. He was trying to run a flare screen with Jackson against Grizzlies rookie Cam Boozer. Boozer clearly didn’t want to get left behind, worked to stay on Markkanen through the contact, and in a sickening moment, Markkanen’s right hand got jammed between Boozer’s arm and Jackson’s body. It looked like his wrist bent backward, and the 29-year-old Finnish forward was in obvious pain. Boozer got whistled for the foul, but the damage was done. Markkanen subbed out immediately, favoring that wrist, was quickly questionable, and then ruled out entirely. He finished with just two points in six minutes.
Not long after Markkanen hit the locker room, Jackson followed. Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome drove to the lane, drew a foul on Jazz defender Svi Mykhailiuk, and then just tumbled right into the stationary Jackson’s right leg in the restricted area. Jackson hit the deck looking like he was in a ton of pain and soon joined Markkanen, also ruled out for the rest of the game. He put up six points, three rebounds, and two assists in 10 minutes before his night ended. To make matters worse, the Jazz were already without center Jusuf Nurkić due to injury, and his backup, Jaxson Hayes, missed the game with right shoulder soreness. So yeah, the Jazz were suddenly missing their entire would-be starting frontcourt. Ouch.
Battling Back, But Not Enough
Even after losing two of their three leading scorers just minutes into the game, the Jazz actually showed some serious grit. They were down by 16 points at one point, but they clawed their way back, cutting that deficit down to just one point with a minute left in regulation. Seriously, that’s a testament to the fight this squad has. Keyonte George dropped 26 points and dished out six assists, Ace Bailey had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and third-string center Mo Bamba stepped up huge with 14 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. That’s a good sign, no doubt.
But they just couldn’t quite get over the hump. Ty Jerome, who came into Monday as the NBA’s leading scorer and just snagged Western Conference Player of the Week honors, hit six of his 15 points in those crucial closing minutes. That was enough for the Grizzlies to hold on for the 110-105 win, improving their surprising early season record to 4-0.
Tomorrow’s MRIs and What It Means for a 1-3 Jazz Squad
Now, the real waiting game begins. Both Markkanen and Jackson are scheduled for MRI testing on Tuesday to figure out just how bad these injuries are. Jazz head coach Will Hardy confirmed it after the game, telling reporters, “We’ll know more tomorrow once they get some imaging.”
The Jazz are now sitting at a tough 1-3 record, and the thought of these two All-Star forwards being sidelined for any real length of time is gut-wrenching. They’ve barely logged 100 minutes together since Jackson arrived in February 2026, thanks to a bunch of other injuries. Let’s hope for some good news for Utah tomorrow, because if these injuries are serious, their season just got a whole lot tougher, way too fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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