Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets Announce Injury Reports

The Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets have some injury news of note before tip-off.

Dec 1, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) shoots the ball over Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz are set to face off against the Houston Rockets coming out of the weekend, where they could be in to see some major improvements on the injury report compared to their last time out against the Memphis Grizzlies.

With that in mind, here's a look at what the injury reports hold for both the Jazz and Rockets heading into tip-off:

Utah Jazz Injury Report

OUT - Jusuf Nurkic (nose; injury management)

QUESTIONABLE - Keyonte George (right ankle; sprain)

PROBABLE - Lauri Markkanen (illness)

OUT - Jaren Jackson Jr. (left knee)

OUT - Walker Kessler (left shoulder)

Two big names of note stick out on the Jazz's injury report with an upgraded status: Keyonte George, who's elevated to questionable from his right ankle sprain, and Lauri Markkanen gone to probable after missing out vs. the Grizzlies with an illness.

If both are indeed available, it's a massive lift for the Jazz's offense by getting their top-two scorers out on the floor, averaging over 50 combined points a game during the season so far, and allows Will Hardy's rotation to have a bit more normalcy.

George has missed seven of the last eight games in the Jazz's season due to two separate ankle sprains. One left ankle sprain took him out for three games before the All-Star break before returning against the Orlando Magic. A second right ankle sprain had him missing four games. And now with a bit of extra rest to bank on, Utah's third-year guard might officially be good to go.

Jan 30, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) reacts after a play against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

However, one name that the Jazz will be without is their starting center Jusuf Nurkic. The veteran big man has been dealing with a nose issue for the past two games now, and will now sideline him once more that leaves this frontcourt likely looking a bit different.

As to who could start in Nurkic's place? Expect Kyle Filipowski to be the one handling those duties, who started in his place during the Jazz's latest outing against the Grizzlies, where he chipped in for an all-around performance of 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Houston Rockets Injury Report

OUT - Steven Adams (left ankle surgery)

OUT - Fred VanVleet (right knee ACL repair)

OUT -Jae’Sean Tate (right knee sprain)

The Rockets will have a few injuries of note, but nothing they haven't had to deal with throughout this season already.

Fred VanVleet continues to recover from his offseason ACL injury, while Steven Adams is newly sidelined with his own season-ending injury due to left ankle surgery.

The newest entry, however, is Jae'Sean Tate, who suffered a knee injury during the Rockets' latest game against the New York Knicks, and now will be off to the side against the Jazz. He's been a minor piece of Houston's rotation this year, averaging 2.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.4 minutes a night.

Tip-off between the Jazz and Rockets lands at 7:30 p.m. on the road at Toyota Center, where the Jazz appear to be looking more refreshed than usual for the contest.