Spurs-Jazz injury report: Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and more to know before tip

The Spurs are in Salt Lake City at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday, looking for a third straight win, and the Jazz are hosting them about 48 hours after losing two starters in the same game. Utah has five players ruled out and two more listed as questionable.

Most of those guys out are on two-way deals, including former San Antonio forward Harrison Ingram. But not Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic. Those are important pieces and won't be on the floor. As for Lauri Markkanen, we'll just have to see. San Antonio is down the same two names who have been sidelined all season.

Spurs injury report

Tobias Harris - Out (Left Calf)
Jayden Quaintance - Out (Right Knee)

Jazz injury report

Lauri Markkanen - Questionable (Right wrist)
Jaxson Hayes - Questionable (Right shoulder)
Jaren Jackson Jr. - Out - (Right knee)
Jusuf Nurkic - Out (Right foot)
Harrison Ingram - Out (G League)
Kobe Bufkin - Out (G League)
Trey Alexander - Out (G League)

Utah's frontcourt is almost completely gone

Jackson tore the MCL in his right knee on Monday against Memphis when Ty Jerome fell into him. He won't need surgery, but the Jazz are re-evaluating him in six weeks, and ESPN reported a six-to-eight-week timeline. That's their starting center and a former Defensive Player of the Year. The unfortunate development comes after only playing three games for Utah last season following the trade that brought him in.

Markkanen went down in the same game when his arm got caught between Jackson and Cam Boozer. Many feared the Finnish forward had suffered a much worse injury, so the sprain was received as a welcome best-case scenario. Still, Lauri's shooting wrist is the one compromised, so he's questionable.

Nurkic hasn't played at all because of a foot injury sustained before the season even began. Jaxson Hayes is just banged up. So the Jazz may walk into this one without their starting center, their backup center, and their leading scorer.

The Jazz may not be as good as we expected

I had the Jazz finishing eighth in the West in my preseason predictions and wrote that their tanking days were over, but things haven't started right for them. They're 1-3 with the 17th-ranked offense and the 24th-ranked defense. Utah gave up 45 to Ty Jerome on opening night and 52 to Luka Doncic on Sunday. I know those guys have started the season hot, but yikes.

Now they're subtracting JJJ from a defense that desperately needs defenders for a minimum of six weeks. Maybe I was a year early, and another lottery season is on the way. It's only four games, so I'm not completely bailing on my prediction yet. Things just didn't hit the ground the way, with at least the brisk jog I thought they would.

San Antonio is coming off a 130-103 win over Sacramento, where everything finally clicked. The Spurs shot 17-of-37 (45.9%) from three, their best night from deep this season. They pretty much did whatever they wanted to the Kings. With 35 assists and 60 points in the paint, it was a Silver and Black party at the Frost Bank Center.

To paraphrase Mitch Johnson's words, the Spurs have played closer to their standard each game. If that trend holds up, the Jazz should be in for a rough night whether Markkanen plays or not.

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