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Utah Jazz Make Decision on Lauri Markkanen's Status vs Pistons

Will Lauri Markkanen face the Pistons on Monday?
Justin Grasso|
Jan 3, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) lays the ball up against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Jan 3, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) lays the ball up against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsUtah Jazz

The Detroit Pistons are gearing up for a Monday night matchup on the road against the Utah Jazz. They aren’t expected to face Lauri Markkanen, who has become one of the NBA’s most underrated scorers.

Heading into the matchup, the Jazz have decided to rule out Markkanen for the second night of their back-to-back set, which started with a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

Markkanen’s absence could be a big loss for Utah as he’s one of the team’s most consistent high-volume shooters from deep.

Since his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls in 2017-2018, Markkanen has averaged nearly seven three-point attempts per game. Throughout his four seasons with the Bulls, Markkanen shot 37 percent, which is currently his career average.

The 61-game stretch with the Cleveland Cavaliers was slightly below average at 36 percent. Since firing up his Utah stint in 2022-2023, Markkanen has knocked down 38 percent of his threes.

The Pistons faced Markkanen for the first time this year back in December. During his 36-minute shift, the Jazz standout scored 27 points and came down with 14 rebounds. He helped the Jazz defeat the Pistons by seven points.

On Monday night, the Pistons will visit the Jazz but aren’t expected to face them with Markkanen on the floor. When the Jazz took on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, Markkanen missed his fourth game in a row. Monday night will make it five as he deals with a back injury.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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