Is Jaren Jackson Jr. Playing Tonight? (Update, Betting Impact for Jazz vs. Hawks)

The Utah Jazz made a massive trade earlier this week, acquiring former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies.

While the deal was reported on Tuesday afternoon, Jackson Jr. will not play on Thursday night for the Jazz as the deal is still pending. Utah is also down star guard Keyonte George against the Atlanta Hawks.

As a result, oddsmakers have set the Hawks as 9.5-point favorites at home in this matchup. Utah may be going all-in around George and Lauri Markkanen after the Jackson Jr. trade, but the team may still want to keep its top-eight protected pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. So, Utah may slow JJJ's debut with the team as long as it can.

This season, Jackson is averaging 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 blocks per game this season. It'll be interesting to see how he meshes with Lauri Markkanen and George once all three players are healthy and in the lineup.

Utah is making a move back towards contention after several down seasons following the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades.

But, when it comes to Thursday's game, there is one betting angle that I like for the Jazz with both George and Jackson out.

Best Jazz Prop Bet vs. Hawks

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Lauri Markkanen 25+ Points (-127)

The Hawks have improved their defense in recent weeks, moving up to 15th in the league in defensive rating, but they are still 23rd in opponent points per game (118.1).

The last time these teams played, Utah scored 122 points, and Markkanen had a massive game, scoring 40 points on 15-of-25 shooting from the field. This season, the star forward is averaging 27.4 points per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Markkanen is taking a career-high 19.5 shots per game, and that should only increase with both George and Jackson out of the lineup. The Jazz forward has 19 and 23 shot attempts in his last two games, scoring 27 points in each of them.

I think this line is a steal for Markkanen, as it's over two points below his season average.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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