The Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz are set to meet Friday at the Delta Center with multiple injury concerns affecting both lineups.
The Thunder will be without Thomas Sorber, Nikola Topic, Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams, and Kenrich Williams, leaving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren to anchor the squad. Branden Carlson is available after recovering from a nasal fracture.
Utah faces significant absences as well, with Walker Kessler, Georges Niang, John Tonje, and Oscar Tshiebwe all out. Kyle Filipowski is listed as questionable with a right wrist sprain, placing more responsibility on Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George to lead the offense.
Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 32.0 points and 6.5 assists per game, while Holmgren contributes 20.0 points and 8.2 rebounds, forming the core of Oklahoma City’s high-powered attack. Isaiah Hartenstein adds 11.0 rebounds per game, helping anchor the Thunder’s frontcourt.
The Jazz will rely heavily on Markkanen, who averages 30.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, and Keyonte George with 23.0 points per game. With Kessler sidelined, Utah will need to compensate in the paint and maintain efficiency on both ends to contend with the league-leading Thunder.
Both teams are entering the matchup with contrasting momentum. Oklahoma City is 15-1 after consecutive wins over the Pelicans (126-109) and Kings (113-99).
Utah sits at 5-9, coming off a 150-147 win over the Bulls but falling 140-126 to the Lakers.
This marks the first meeting of the season between the Thunder and Jazz. Tip-off is set for 10:00 PM ET at the Delta Center.
