Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 111-102 on Thursday, their third defeat in four games.

They are now in eighth position, one game ahead of Sacramento in tenth place, and their road trip comes to a conclusion in Phoenix, where they are currently 4.5 games behind the club in eleventh place.

The news became worse when Anthony Edwards was removed after receiving two technical fouls, forcing the T-Wolves to play the most of the second half without him.

Minnesota already had key players sidelined against the Lakers, with Rudy Gobert (back) and Julius Randle (groin) unavailable. Even if they manage to play in Salt Lake, neither is likely to be at full strength.

One thing the Timberwolves have consistently demonstrated, regardless of who is on the court, is their defensive prowess. Despite the defeat, they limited Los Angeles to just 41.5% shooting overall, including a dismal 11-for-41 from beyond the arc.

On the other hand, the Utah Jazz find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference and appear to be more focused on securing a favorable draft position. Their latest outing resulted in a 118-101 blowout loss to the Kings, marking their fourth defeat in five games.

Utah has won only four of its last 20 matchups and has been struggling defensively, conceding an average of 122.7 points per game. Opponents are shooting efficiently against them, hitting 47.6% from the field and 36.8% from three-point range.

The Jazz are also dealing with injuries but seem in no hurry to rush their players back. John Collins (back), Collin Sexton (ankle), and Lauri Markkanen (back) are all listed as questionable for this matchup.

During an otherwise difficult four-game road trip, Nebraska obviously has more to play for on Friday, and the Jazz are a good place to start.

They are 5-0 straight up in their previous five trips to the Delta Center and have won eight of their last ten games against Utah overall.

Utah's 7-22 home record is the second-worst in the NBA, and the squad has the second-worst record in the league against teams with winning records, going just 6-29.

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their most recent game. The LA Lakers were defeated 111-102 on the road at Crypto.com Arena. Terrence Shannon scored 25 points, while Jaden McDaniels scored 15 and Anthony Edwards scored 18.

The Utah Jazz have suffered consecutive defeats. The Sacramento Kings defeated them 118-101 in a recent home game at Delta Center. KJ Martin scored 16 points and Brice Sensabaugh scored 12, while Walker Kessler scored 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.

The Wolves won the previous meeting between these two clubs at Delta Center. achieving a 138-113 victory over the Jazz. When the Wolves meet the Jazz, they have won six straight games. They have won eight of the last ten head-to-head matches.