Jazz change Lauri Markkanen’s injury status for tank-off vs. Kings

On Wednesday night, the Utah Jazz will hit the floor for the second-to-last time before the All-Star break for a home game against the Sacramento Kings. The Jazz have been one of the talks of the NBA world in recent weeks for their shameless pulling of starters in an attempt to lose games, and the Kings are another team looking to maximize their odds for the NBA lottery.

Initially, the Jazz had ruled Lauri Markkanen out for this game due to rest, but now, his status has been changed, and he is listed as available for the contest. This could seemingly be in response to the slew of mockery that has been hurled in the Jazz’s direction over the last couple of weeks as a result of their blatant attempt to lose games.

Meanwhile, the Kings are making no secret about their desire to remain uncompetitive, as the team has listed Malik Monk, Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, De’Andre Hunter, and Keegan Murray all out for this game due to various ailments.

The Kings, of course, aren’t particularly good at winning even when all of their main players are on the floor, but this injury report seems to signal a clear opportunity for the team to try to lose against another team in the Jazz that is on the race to the bottom.

Recently, Jazz coach Will Hardy received immense criticism for pulling his starters in a road game against the Orlando Magic, which Utah went on to lose after leading by 17 points in the second half. The coach pulled a similar maneuver in the team’s recent game against the Miami Heat, but the Heat’s incompetence made it so that the Jazz still ended up winning the game.

In any case, tipoff for Wednesday’s tank-off is set for 9:00 pm ET.

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