The Utah Jazz look to get back on track versus the Los Angeles Clippers.

he Utah Jazz will attempt to turn the ship around when they face off versus the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night in Salt Lake City. Both franchises could be without some key contributors heading into the contest.

Utah’s leading scorer, Lauri Markkanen (hamstring) is listed as out, while Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk are questionable. As for the Clippers, backup center Mason Plumlee (knee) is out.

It will be interesting to see how the Jazz play after suffering their second-worst defeat in franchise history at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Head coach Will Hardy’s group lost by 50 points in embarrassing fashion. Hardy wasn’t pleased in his post-game press conference.

“That was an absolute horrendous performance from start to finish,” Hardy said. “That was a masterpiece of dog ****. I really don’t know how to describe that game.”

It will help if Olynyk and Clarkson can suit up, but missing Markkanen consistently has taken its toll. This will be Markkannen’s seventh consecutive game he’s missed.

On a positive note, the banged-up Jazz has given lottery pick Taylor Hendricks an opportunity to get live reps at the NBA level. Hendricks had his best showing of the year versus the Mavericks. Hendricks scored 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting while knocking down two shots from long distance. 

If Olynyk is unable to go, expect Hendricks to be a big part of the rotation. The tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. MST.