Winless-in-spirit Jazz host Magic as both teams limp in short-handed

Two struggling teams meet in Salt Lake City, and the evidence says little about either beyond how badly each is hurting. Utah is 1-9 and has lost eight straight. Orlando is 2-7 and has lost four in a row. With both rosters missing several regulars, tonight is less about quality than about which depleted group can put together a competent night.

Utah's run of results is the most extreme feature of the game. Beyond the eight straight losses overall, the Jazz have lost four straight at home and have failed to cover five straight games. Their home games have also gone under the total three times running. Those are descriptions of what has happened, not forecasts, but they show a team that has struggled in every way a bettor measures. Sunday's 115-100 loss to Minnesota fit the pattern.

Orlando's slide looks different. The Magic dropped a 126-119 overtime decision to Golden State on Sunday, a game that went the distance rather than getting away from them. Under a dozen games is a small sample, so the 2-7 record is weak evidence about true quality, and the same caution applies to Utah's 1-9.

The injury lists matter more than the records. For Utah, Lauri Markkanen (right wrist sprain) and Keyonte George (ankle) were ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Heat, Jaren Jackson Jr. has a torn MCL with a 6-to-8 week timeline set on Oct. 27, and Jusuf Nurkic has only begun on-court activities as he recovers from a right foot injury. If those absences carry over, the Jazz are without two forwards, a guard and a center.

Orlando's problems are comparable. Paolo Banchero was expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a right high-ankle sprain, per an Oct. 24 report. Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac (both knee) were ruled out for Tuesday's game against Sacramento, Tristan da Silva (calf) was ruled out as well, and Noah Penda is out with a partially torn hamstring. The absences hit the backcourt and the forward group alike, so neither side gains a clean edge from health, and any return would be the swing factor.

The recent head-to-head is close. Orlando won 128-127 in Salt Lake City on Dec. 21 and 120-117 in Orlando on Feb. 8, so the Magic have taken both meetings, each by a narrow margin. Two games are thin evidence, but they show these teams have played tight when they met. Taken together, Utah's recent results are worse and Orlando's injury list is long, yet nothing separates the two with confidence. A game between two short-handed, losing teams is mostly a question of who is actually in uniform at 9:00 PM ET.