The Jazz will be missing one start, and another's status is up in the air. Jazz's starting center, Walker Kessler, continues to be sidelined with a hip injury, and Lauri Markkenen is questionable because of an eye injury.

The start of the 2024-25 season hasn’t been kind to Lauri Markkanen. Entering the Utah Jazz’s Thursday night contest against the Dallas Mavericks, he’s averaging just 15 points on 39.4 percent shooting from the field in the three games he’s played in since returning from injury.

Late in the second quarter of the Utah Jazz’s loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, Lauri Markkanen stretched, jumped, twisted and reached out of bounds in an attempt to corral a rebound. As soon as Markkanen landed following his momentary acrobatics, he grimaced and grabbed at his lower back.